Memento
by leavenodoubt
Summary: A Malon & Link story all about them, how they fell in love, how they survived obstacles, and everything before, after, and in between. The beginning to the end, though not necessarily in that order. Rated T for implications and suggestive themes.
1. Restless Dream

**Hey all! So, new novel, new fanfiction for when I'm bored! So everybody, here it is. This one is a bit different from After Seven Years, like a lot different. There aren't any major battles going on in this one, no crazy fiancees and psycho fathers. Oh, by the way, if that's your thing and you HAVEN'T read After Seven Years, I encourage you to check it out! But, having said that, I really like how this one is going. I like that it's not all big explosions and stuff. If the format confuses you, please let me know and I'll explain.**

**So, I'm going to make a little rule because towards the end of my last fanfiction I felt like I was only writing it for myself which is sweet, but I spent a lot of time doing it and not a lot else. So, to keep me from wasting more time on something like two people liked enough to review, I'm going to start with the "Five Reviews Before Next Update" type thing. For those of you who don't know what that means, I want five solid reviews before I update again. So yeah, that is all, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I remember seeing the smoke from my window. I remember my dad telling me to go downstairs and hide in the back room. I was just a little girl then, only nine.<p>

It still haunts me, seeing the castle burning like it was. I could hear the people screaming all the way from the ranch, I can still hear them when I close my eyes.

My eyes flash open when I'm startled from a dream that seems too real, a choked feeling in my throat. I swallow, taking in the darkness that still conceals us, the night still deep. I readjust my head on my pillow, turning my back to the door, hoping that the blankets will be enough to protect me from my demons.

I try to keep my breathing even as a tear slips from my eye, so that I won't wake anyone, particularly the man laying next to me still lost to sleep. It's not very often that he gets much rest, he's always sitting up at night, watching through the window, looking for something, or someone.

I think I must have spoken too soon though as his eyelashes flutter open, a short gasp escaping his mouth. He's holding his breath, staring up at the roof, probably unaware that I'm awake next to him. I wait for a moment, just to make sure that's he's actually awake and not just having a night terror. "...Link?" I whisper.

He turns his face to look at me. "Hey..." he says so gently it's as if his voice exists as part of the night sounds that surround us.

"Are you dreaming?" I ask.

"I was," he whispers, seeking out the tear that remains trapped between the corner of my eye and the bridge of my nose with his finger, "Did I wake you?"

I shake my head, relief flooding me at his conscious presence.

"Were _you _dreaming?" he asks, letting his thumb stroke along the length of my jaw.

I nod, draping an arm over his shoulder and pulling myself closer to him. "Was it the same one?" I ask him as I nestle my head into his shoulder.

"It's always the same one," he murmurs.

I let out a stuttered breath, the remnants of a sob in my chest. "I don't know what's wrong with me," I say, my voice breaking.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Mal," he says with conviction.

I don't know why I can't seem to shake these dreams then, why they're so prominent in my life. Even him, after seeing so much, after having to go through such horrible things, he can still shake off the dreams of his past, but I can't seem to.

"Why don't you ever believe me?" he asks, his voice slightly slurred as the night weighs heavily on him.

"Hmm?" I ask, looking up to find him gazing down at me.

"You don't say it, but I know you're thinking it. You've never been good at keeping secrets, Malon," he says, wiping beneath my eyes with his thumb.

"Because if there was nothing wrong with me then I wouldn't see those things every night-"

He cuts me off as he manages to slip his lips over top of mine, holding them there with a raw intensity. He rolls onto his side, and I do the same, my hand drifting around to the back of his neck while he holds my body tight against him, his arms constricting my upper body.

"Hold onto me," he tells me against my lips.

I pull back only slightly, "What do you mean?"

He pulls me back in close, "Hold onto me."

With confusion I wrap my arms around his neck, smelling his hair and feeling the comfortable pressure everywhere on my body that his connects with.

"Can you feel my heart?" he asks.

I focus my concentration on my chest where I feel a steady throbbing against me, the steady thump of his heart, whereas mine is more erratic. "Yes," I murmur into his neck.

"Try and slow your heart down to meet mine," he says, stroking my back with ease.

I nod once, sucking in a deep breath and trying to feel the steady and controlled expansion of his chest against mine.

"See," he whispers after a moment, "your heart beats just like mine, your body is warm just like mine, you feel fear just like all of us do. There is nothing wrong with you."

"But my mind won't let me forget," I say softly into his ear, brushing my lips to his earlobe, his earring cold on my skin. "Everyone else forgets..."

"Everyone else was just watching," he says gently, his voice aching slightly when I let out a brief sob. His grip on me tightens, his lips returning to mine to try and hush my cries. He captures my bottom lip in between his, his breath warm on my face.

I kiss him back, wanting to dissolve in his touch, wanting him to hold me this way forever. I wrap a leg around his body, clenching a fistful of his shirt in my hand as his fingers entangle themselves in my hair. I remember when I had eagerly awaited the moments he had here, the time away from his journey that would bring him home to me and he would hold me in his arms and detail everything that had happened from the time we'd parted to the time we'd joined once more.

And now all of that is over, and yet his arms haven't lost their majesty to me, their comfort.

We part, our foreheads still touching as our breath comes in and out in labored pants. His grip on me relaxes only until it's more comfortable, but our bodies still resemble one beneath the blankets that I always assume will protect me from those creatures lurking in the dark, though I know I might as well be lying here naked.

Against my chest I can feel his heart has picked up in pace, and I like the feel of it, I like the constant thrum of it against me, reminding me that I'm not alone, and that should I be subject to demons or shadows or spirits, that there's another heart close to me that will step in front of me and ward them off, keep them at bay. I snake my hand between us under his shirt and lay it on his chest, unwilling to lose that line that keeps me feeling at peace enough to drift into subconsciousness.

He waits for me to fall asleep, just to make sure that I'm not alone in the darkness.

I only let one more tear slip from my eye before I fall asleep, one in thanks for him.

It disperses into the pillow before he can catch it though.

* * *

><p>"<em>He'll be home soon, Malon. Don't worry."<em>

_ "I know," I murmur, "thanks for coming tonight."_

_ "It was great, see you later."_

_ I nod in her direction as she leaves, finding the night quiet again._

_ Everyone filters out of the corral, the party finally finishing as the sun makes it'_ _s first hint of returning. My heels are aching and my cheeks are sore from smiling but I've never felt better. Every now and then, the crackle and pop of fireworks can be heard from Kakariko, around the field, some from the forest. A hint of a smile tugs at my lips whenever they're heard. I'm finishing washing up the dishes, Dad and Ingo putting out the bonfires in the corral that the party goers had left there._

_ I've never felt so weightless, a song still dancing off my tongue as a tune I'd heard tonight ricochets in my mind. My cheeks feel flushed, my eyes heavy, but I'll sleep soundly tonight._

_ I keep looking through the window for him, though I'm sure he's at the castle making arrangements with the princess. I wonder if he knew to come here, because all of Hyrule had been here so there wouldn't have been anywhere else worth going, but I know that he has things to do, and especially with what's just happened, I can't blame him for being late._

_ I hear the click of the door behind me, assuming that it's Dad and Ingo coming in at last to pass out wherever the floor is clear. They're a little intoxicated to say the least, but I can't say I blame them exactly. I'd never liked the strong drinks that Dad is so fond of, but I can't help but laugh at how people act under the influence of them._

_ I wait for the crash of furniture that would let me know they'd finally stumbled in, but instead I hear steady boots against the wooden floor. For a brief moment my heart skips a beat as I anticipate him coming home at last. I feel a hot blush touch my cheeks before I hear the clattering of metal against the floor and realize that it must have been just Dad or Ingo come in at last, probably knocking over something expensive. I roll my eyes, expecting the sound to be followed by snoring._

_ But then strong arms slip around my waist, warm lips finding my neck. I whirl around in surprise to find him standing behind me, his green tunic stained with dirt, and something red-brown which I assume must be blood. There's a thin slice across his cheek that has a red smear across it but other than that he looks perfect. His eyes still sparkle through the dirt and grime, his lips quirking into a relieved grin. I glance down and see that his shield and sword lay on the ground, that that was the clattering I'd heard._

_ And then I sling my arms around his neck, not bothering to dry them first as I let out a delighted cry, joyful tears touching my eyes. I keep my wrists cocked to keep them from getting his clothes wet though I doubt he'd notice or care, and laugh as he holds me around my waist._

_ "Welcome home," I manage to say, my chest trembling with tears though I've never been happier._

_ "I'm home," he mutters to himself, the words playing off his tongue and sounding perfect._

_ I pull back, placing a damp hand on his cheek. "Oh, look at me. I've been washing dishes, I've been up all night, I probably look a mess-"_

_ He abruptly cuts me off as he leans in a closes his mouth over mine. When he pulls back, my eyes closed in bliss, he brushes his nose against mine and says, "There is nothing wrong with you."_

_ A tear falls from my eye as I look at him, all the worry about him dying completely erased from my heart. "You did it," I murmur._

_ His eyebrows knit together as he folds me into his arms holding me tight against him. I rest my face against his chest, holding onto him as the first beams of light start filtering through the kitchen window, the dawn of a new day._

_ A new age._

_ A new life._

* * *

><p>"I have to go into town, the princess wants to meet with me," he says as he leans against the wall, arms loosely crossed over his chest, watching me sit in front of my vanity, brushing out my hair.<p>

My hand stops moving, I set the brush down and the image of me in the mirror becomes foggy. "How long?" I ask soft enough that he won't be able to hear my wavering voice.

"A few days," he says quietly.

"When are you going?" I ask.

He shrugs a shoulder, "I'm not sure... maybe tomorrow."

I look down at my hands in my lap, dreading these few nights I'll have to spend without him, dreading the time I'll wake up in the night with nothing between myself and the demons but my blankets.

"What does she want?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"I don't know, Mal... Just to meet with me about possible arrangements," he says as nonchalantly as he can though I hear the unsure undertones in his voice.

"Possible... arrangements?"

"Yes."

"Concerning what?" I ask, a tear falling onto my lap before I can try to stop it.

He seems hesitant to answer me, but his honesty wins out, "She said something about training the soldiers for a while... coming into town for a few months at a time and teaching them."

I turn and look at him and he's grimacing like he'd wished he'd phrased his statement differently. "A few months?" I ask, my eyes wide.

"I don't like this any more than you do," he murmurs, as if that'll make things better.

"And what will I do all this time, while you're away and I have to stay here?" I ask, genuinely interested in what he thinks this will mean for us.

He shakes his head at me, "I want you to come with me."

"Which you know I can't do," I say. "There's only my Dad and Ingo left, they can't-"

"You know that's not the truth. When you were young they managed just fine," he points out.

"That was a different time. My dad and Ingo are getting older, they need more help," I say, though I hate that it's the truth.

He walks closer to me, sitting in the chair still. He lays his hands on my shoulders, letting them slip down to squeeze my arms gently. He coaxes me up to stand and takes a step to my side to scoop me up into his arms, my legs dangling over his forearm, my back resting against his bicep. My arms are draped loosely around his neck, my face propped up against his shoulder. He walks us over to the bed, sitting down and inching backward until he's leaning against the wall, me, still cradled in his arms.

"Do you remember when we were younger, we were playing in the barn one day, and one of the cows kicked me?" he asks, a smile toying with his lips.

I nod, trapped in his sparkling eyes.

"Remember how it broke my rib, and for a minute I couldn't breathe?"

I nod again, trying to find why he looks upon this memory with happiness.

"When you brought your dad in to help me, you asked him if I was dead," he says with a quiet chuckle.

I smile, laughing gently as I look down, my fingers playing with the ties at his throat on his tunic.

"But one thing I remember is laying on the ground, and looking over at you standing there and watching me. You were crying hard. You weren't wearing any shoes," he says.

"I wasn't?" I ask, looking back up at him.

He shakes his head back and forth, his lip in between his teeth. "I'd never seen such dainty feet, such slender little ankles. They were so pretty."

I snicker as a crimson blush colors my cheeks. "And probably filthy."

He shrugs. "I don't remember. I remember watching your toes curling into the dirt as your dad tried to get me to breath properly. It was like you were so nervous," he says, his hand slipping under the skirt of my dress to curl his fingers around my calf.

"Well, I thought you were dead at first, so," I explain.

"You still do that. When you're nervous your toes curl up," he says, looking down at me affectionately. "Did you know that?"

I shake my head, the dimples in my cheeks deepening as I grin wider.

"When you were just sitting at the vanity, they were doing it."

"Really?" I ask, my nose wrinkling.

"You don't need to be worried about me," he says, touching his fingers to my lips, "nothing is going to happen."

"I don't worry about you being hurt. I worry about... just, being apart from you," I admit.

He presses a kiss to my temple, his hand on my leg gently rubbing up and down in a comforting pattern. He lets his fingers slide down to my heel, the sensitive skin reflexively making me pull my knee up to my chest, my foot out of his reach.

"That tickles," I complain with a smirk.

He reaches up and grabs my retracted ankle, pulling it back down to meet the other one. He pulls the fabric concealing my feet back and puts his hand on my shin, gently bringing his hand down until it reaches the top of my foot. I clench my fist, trying not to squirm in his grasp and laugh as my foot recoils beyond my control.

He laughs under his breath, his eyes down as he touches a finger to each of my toes, watching as my body reacts of its own accord to his touches.

Each toe flinches, every time our laughing increasing in volume until the buoyancy of happiness is keeping us high above the dark water we are submerged in far too often. For a moment I forget that he's going away, and I quickly try to regain that sense of weightlessness, I tell myself that we'll sit here on our bed for all of tomorrow, rather than him riding towards the castle. It's enough to seal me in this moment for the time being.

I look up at him with his goofy boyish grin smiling down at my feet and then his attention is drawn towards me, my heart squeezing painfully inside my chest when our eyes connect and for a brief moment I think he's seeing inside of me. I don't want to have to go a day without seeing his face, without him looking at me this way. And yet, I'll have to.

I lift my finger gingerly to his face and trace it along the small white scar along his cheekbone, long since healed since the end of his journey. It will never fully fade.

* * *

><p>"<em>He's going to be fine, Malon. He's a strong boy," my father says, closing the door of my room so I can suffer in silence.<em>

_ I've never felt so nervous, never felt so sick to my stomach when I wasn't ill. I've been sitting on my bad for the past few hours, just waiting, and waiting... and waiting. Every small sound, every distant noise draws my attention. I feel completely on edge, I feel like dying. My toes curl and uncurl and curl again, trying to relieve some of the tension in my body though it does little good. I clench the pendant he made me tight in my hand, my palms sweating, the smooth surface slipping through my fingers._

_ And then the floor shakes only slightly, the picture on my wall rattling. I stand up, my nerves suddenly firing beyond control, and rush to my door. I tuck the pendant away into a pocket on my skirt and fly down the stairs and out of the house. I hurry down the path to the entrance of the ranch, looking towards Castle Town to seek out the cause._

_ What I find pierces my heart. His tower is crumbling to the ground, dust and smoke rising from where it lays._

_ Link was in that tower._

_ I collapse to the ground, my hands covering my mouth as I feel like my heart is trying to rip its way through my throat, sounds I've never made before coming from my mouth, sounds of anguish. I hear the door open and close abruptly as my dad follows me, rushing back to my side. "Malon," he says, his voice filled with anxiety._

_ I curl over my knees, feeling like I'm going to throw up, feeling like my world is coming to an end. _

_ "Malon, come on sweat pea," he says gently, trying to help me up._

_ I press the heals of my hands to my eye sockets, shaking my head as if that'll erase the image I just saw. "He was in – in that t-tower, Dad," I hiccup._

_ "Mal, I... I **know** he made it out," he says, petting my hair gently._

_ "How?" I ask, pleading for an answer to convince me._

_ He hesitates, not at all reassuring me. "Because I refuse to believe that after everything... **everything** he's been through, that this is his end."_

_ I lean into his arms, coughing out relentless sobs, hoping with all of my heart that he's still alive. We sit at the entrance of the ranch watching the town, waiting for news, waiting for some signal to tell us what's happening. There's a storm swirling above where the castle once stood, thunder echoing across the plains of Hyrule._

_ And we wait, and wait, my toes curling in the grass as I mouth prayers to myself, prayers for his safety._

_ When I'm about to give up, give up on the hope my father holds, I see a light descending upon the tower, opening and growing wider the closer it gets. It opens like a funnel and then suddenly the wide opening closes abruptly and all that's left is a thin strand of light from the ground to the sky. Then like a flash of lightning, it disappears, the dark clouds that had been circling above the town, dissipating. I gasp, standing up as the clouds give way to a clear night, the stars and moon clear above us for the first time since I was a little girl._

_ Could this be it?_

_ A swift wind rushes in all directions from the castle, my hair whipping past me as I blink the tears away from my eyes, the wind drying them. And something fills my heart, something I'm not familiar with... but it feels good. It's like all the dread I've ever felt has been sucked straight out of me and what's left is a raw naivety I only ever felt at a young age._

_ I don't need any more of a confirmation. I know that he's done it, that he's saved all of us._

_ But it does help when the cheers of people throughout the land disrupt the calm._

* * *

><p><em>Everyone in Hyrule is here except for him, the Princess, and the sages. I do enjoy myself and the company of so many truly joyful people, but I can't deny the craving in the back of my mind to see him, just to know that he's alright. I miss him.<em>

_ I look up at the stars, having never seen them shine so brightly it's like the sky is decorated with glitter. The sky is so blue, not a black-grey like it always has been. It's like in the stories I was told as a child, like the pictures in my room Mama painted. I never thought that it actually looked like that._

_ I see something trickle through the night high above me then, several shimmering lights, all different colors. They're not stars, but they capture my attention as the drift away. There's something ethereal about the way they move, like they're souls moving with purpose and dignity._

_ Angels maybe, watching our world shine bright finally. And if not angels, they must be souls of high importance. Maybe they're even our own sages._

_ It's late though, the party going through the night and I'm sure it's almost dawn. My feet hurt from dancing, my cheeks from laughing, my throat from singing, but I feel mostly at peace. The Gorons have started to filter out of the ranch, the Zoras as well. Most of the knights have to help one another find their way home, too drunk to walk in a straight line. My father and Ingo have scarlet cheeks, laughing hysterically at some unknown joke. I like the sight of it, it's like back when they were friends before all of this happened, before Ingo lost his carefree soul. Before Dad left._

_ Things are starting to fall back into place. The only thing missing is him._

_ One of the girls from the village comes up to me, her cuccos in her arms. We'd become friends over the years and I realized I really enjoyed it, having a girl friend. I told her everything about Link, and she told me all about her own troubles in love. The conversation was exciting in a way I'd never known. Her cheeks are rosy as she passes, coming up to hug me goodbye._

_ She has that look in her eye as she pulls back, like she can tell there's something nagging at me._

_ "He'll be home soon, Malon. Don't worry," she says softly._

_ I place my hand over the small lump in my pocket where the pendant sits. "I know," I murmur, hoping she's right, trying to take comfort in the fact that everyone believes that he's safe. "Thanks for coming tonight."_

* * *

><p>I sit with my knees pulled up to my chest, my arms folded on my knees with my chin resting on my forearms. He sits in a similar way, watching me with narrowed eyes like he's trying to figure something out.<p>

"What?" I ask.

"I'm thinking," he says.

"'Bout what?" I ask.

"You... and me, but mostly you," he says.

I push myself forward onto my feet and grasp his shoulders with my hands, pushing him back onto the grass, following him down so that I lay looking down at him, my hair shielding us from any snooping horses. He grins up at me, like this is where he'd wanted to be all along. "What about me, and you, but mostly me?"

He wraps his arms around my waist, pursing his lips as he studies my eyes. "About what I'm going to do without you if I have to leave... about how much I love you. About how much I really don't want to go."

"I would say, just don't, but I know you feel obligated," I say, letting my fingers toy with his hair.

He smiles that smile that I absolutely adore, that smile that I looked forward to seeing every day he wasn't with me. The single dimple in his left cheek shows itself, the scar on his lower lip turning white. "You know me well."

"That shouldn't surprise you," I say with a smirk.

"Mal," he says so gently that my heart aches, he can probably feel it thump erratically against his, "you surprise me every day."

I lean down and rest the bridge of my nose against his chin, his lips finding a place on my forehead. "What will I do while you're away?" I ask him.

"I'll only be gone for a few days," he reminds me in a hushed voice.

"No... that I'll cope with. But what about when you're away months at a time?"

I can feel his lips shifting against my skin, like he's biting the inside of his cheek. His hands find my shoulders then and push me back gently so he can look into my eyes. He has a puzzled expression on his face as his fingers stray from my waist and drift down my cheek, pausing at my lips for a brief moment. "What will I do when I can't see your face every day?" he asks me instead of answering my question.

As if on cue, the wooden pendant I'm wearing around my neck on a simple chain, the one he'd made me when he was seventeen, slips from inside my shirt where I'd tucked it. It rests against his collarbone until his hand lifts it into his grasp to examine it. He lets out a single laugh as he eyes it.

"I remember when I made this for you," he murmurs.

"It was so when you were away, that I'd remember you," I say softly.

"I don't need anything to remember you by... but I want something like this with me so that everyone knows that I have you, everyone can see that I'm not alone," he says, twirling the pendant in his fingers.

I lean on my elbows, reaching up around my neck to undo the clasp. I take his palm and fold the necklace into his hands, curling his fingers over it with my own. "There, now you have something."

"But this is yours," he says, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"Yes, it is. So I want you to take it with you, and then bring it back home safe to me. Can you do that for me?" I ask.

"I think so," he whispers.

"That's all I need. For you to bring this home safe and sound," I say, watching his eyes change as he interprets my meaning. All I need is for _him_ to come home safe and sound. The blue in his eyes becomes turbulent, the sign I've come to know that he's worrying. This puts a pit in my stomach, why should he have to worry about coming home safely?

He reaches around my neck and pulls my lips down to meet his, holding me there for a moment as I savor the touch of his lips on mine, the way his breathing shifts ever so slightly. A low breath is on the back of my neck then, something nudging my head and when I glance up I find a disgruntled horse above us.

"Epona, I'm not hurting him," I chide her.

She snorts and shakes her mane in response.

"Hey girl, you ready to go on a trip tomorrow?" Link asks her.

To this she whinnies in delight.

"That's my best girl," Link says, a smile in his voice like he's triumphed over me, winning over Epona's affection.

I glance down at him with mock irritation, "I thought I was your best girl."

His face softens, the smile fading as that flicker of light ignites his eyes. He sweeps his thumb under my eye, catching something I can't see. "No," he says, "you're my _only_ girl."

* * *

><p><strong>Five reviews before next update! Hope to see you guys in the next chapter!<strong>


	2. This Is The Thing

**Hey everybody! So I got five reviews so here's the next chapter! Thank you to the people that reviewed, I think we can do it again, yeah? Five reviews? You guys are really awesome so I think we can. Oh. And if you want to review, please don't review saying "Update." Nobody likes that guy. Fellow writers, am I right?**

**So I forgot about something on the last chapter that is kind of exciting (for me at least). So in all of my boredom, I made a playlist/album for this story, yes truth. I plan, in a perfect world, to write a chapter for every song, which means I forgot the first chapter. Silly me. In case you're interested, the song for the first chapter is: Restless Dream by Jack's Mannequin. The song for this chapter as you can see is... This Is The Thing by Fink.**

**If you're interested in seeing the cover art I made, go over to my blog I basically made just so I could show you, go to: leavenodoubt1432 dot tumblr dot com**

* * *

><p>The floor is cold when I leave the bathroom, steam curling around me as I exit. My wet hair falls to the middle of my back, dampening the light cotton dress I wear. I dread the winter days where this attire will be too cool for the chilly nights, when the summer warmth is drained from our home.<p>

I take the brush from the vanity and sit down in front of him on our bed, brushing the knots and tangles from the day outside from my hair. He smiles at me as I make myself comfortable, my forehead scrunching as the brush catches on a tangle. "Such pretty hair," he murmurs to me.

"My mother had the same hair, the same color," I say quietly, giving up and running my fingers through my hair as a makeshift comb.

"You don't talk about her very often," Link says, "does it make you sad?"

I purse my lips. "I hardly knew her," I say.

"I didn't even know my parents... but it makes me sad to think about them," Link admits.

I glance down, narrowing my eyes as I try to recall thinking about her. "I guess I told myself it was silly to be sad about her... because I always had my dad..."

"It's not silly. It's okay to be sad," Link tells me.

I keep my eyes down, tears welling in them for a reason I can't decipher. Maybe it's years worth of sadness I've kept inside, maybe it's because tomorrow he'll be gone, maybe it's because I'm embarrassed that he had to tell me that. "Is it?... Okay to be sad, that is."

"Of course. If we were never sad, then we would never know what being happy is. If I didn't lose my parents maybe I wouldn't have found you. And I'm happy that I did, but it doesn't mean I don't miss having them..." he says softly, reaching out to encircle my wrist in his hand.

I let him pull me towards him, crawling to sit in between his legs, mine draping over one of his. "I don't have to be sad anymore," I say, looking up at him with a smile even though there are still tears in my eyes.

"Me neither," he says, cupping my jaw in his hand and delicately pressing his lips to mine.

He weaves his fingers into my hair and holds my face close to his chest as I hold onto his wrist, securing his hand there. I lay my ear over his heart, listening to its constant thrum, taking comfort in it, trying to memorize the sound for when he's not here to remind me.

"Your hair smells so good," he whispers, a smile in his voice as he rubs my back unconsciously. That's one of the things that I love him for, he knows that he can comfort me with the easy pressure of his hand on my back. Now he doesn't even have to think about it before his hand starts making soothing circles between my shoulder blades.

"It's called soap, you should use it sometime," I joke, trying to bring some light into the room despite the quickly descending evening.

"Soap, huh?" he mutters, finally letting go of my face and resting his hand on my knee.

"Yeah, it's a new sanitation product," I tell him, grinning as he plays along.

He takes my hand and twines his fingers through mine. He presses my knuckles to his lips. "Malon, you're freezing," he murmurs.

"I'm always cold," I say gently, my voice faltering slightly as I watch him look at me with concern.

"Come here then," he says, pulling down the covers for me to slide in beside him. He takes both of my hands in his and presses them to his lips, blowing warm air on my chilled fingers. "Now, how's that?"

I nod, nestling in closer to him and resting my wet hair against his shoulder, he wraps his arms around me, holding my trembling body close to his warm one.

"I'm probably going to leave early tomorrow," he whispers, "before the sun comes up."

I'm glad I can hide the disappointment on my face in his shirt, and I try to keep my voice even when I say, "Alright."

"And I'll be back as soon as possible," he says.

"Okay," I mutter.

"And Red?" he asks, using his nickname for me.

I look up to him as he swallows, the sound audible to my ears.

"Don't forget about me."

I gently grasp his shirt in my hand. "I won't," I manage to say.

He inclines his face towards me, laying his upper body on top of me as he kisses me slowly. He reaches over to the bedside table and turns the switch on the lamp, the flame regressing to a faint blue light, and then disappearing all together.

* * *

><p>"<em>You're shivering."<em>

_ "It's cold," I say, rubbing my arms to try and create friction to warm myself up._

_ He pulls me into his arms, resting his chin on my head, "Soon the world will be warm again."_

_ "When you come back... will the butterflies come back, too?" I ask, keeping my arms close to my chest rather than wrapping them around him._

_ "And the birds," he says softly. _

_ I nod, remembering when I used to watch the gulls circling overhead, chase the butterflies out in the field. _

_ "Don't forget about me," he whispers, and then breathes in sharply like he's going to add to his statement but thinks better of it. A brief pang of fear wracks my heart as I imagine him saying: 'Don't forget about me, in case I don't come back.'_

_ "How could I?" I ask, closing my eyes and leaning against him as a tear rolls down my cheek. "I love you, Link."_

_ "Don't do that," he whispers, taking my face in his hands and making me face him, "don't say it like you're saying goodbye."_

_ "But I'm scared," I manage to whisper, my lips trembling._

_ "I'll come back" he says, pressing his lips to my forehead and then folding me back into his arms, "I'll come back."_

_ "Do you promise?"_

_ He doesn't speak for a long time and I wonder if he's heard me at all. I consider asking again, but decide not to dwell on my fear, but to dwell on this moment in the comfort of his arms. I don't want to think about it, but the thought is prevalent in my head; that this may the last time he holds me. _

_ He lets go of me abruptly, as if he just needs to make a clean cut away. He climbs onto Epona's back and looks in my eyes one last time, something behind them that makes my heart hurt, a knot in my stomach. He doesn't say anything, doesn't betray his emotions with words, and he doesn't make any promises._

_ I know that he heard my question, I know that he didn't answer it for my sake, to not fill my mind with false hopes._

_ I wish he would've lied. _

_ He rides off then, without a word, without a backwards glance. I watch for long moments after that, the cold wind causing the hair on my arms to stand up straight. I let the warm tears on my face turn cold._

_ "Malon," my dad's voice suddenly says from behind me._

_ I look down, one of the chilled tears falling from my chin._

_ "Sweetheart, what are you doing out here? You're gonna catch a cold," he grumbles, wrapping an arm around me and directing me back towards the house. My toes are cold, having left my shoes inside the house, so I don't feel my feet moving, but they take me with him._

_ "Do you want something to eat?" he asks me, "Some soup or somethin'?"_

_ I shake my head, wandering up the stairs stiffly, holding up my skirt in one hand, pulling myself up the banister with the other._

_ He sighs, his footsteps following soon after mine. I wander over to the window, my vision skewed as I glance out and see the thick cloud above Castle Town, my heart racing as I know Link will be there soon. My father's footsteps stop at my door as I raise my hand and touch my fingertips to the glass, the cold outside forming little white circles on the window around them. _

_ "Malon," he says hesitantly, not wanting to broach the subject with me._

_ I jump slightly, not expecting to hear him speak. "Dad... do you remember when I was younger... you fell asleep outside of the castle?" I don't wait for him to respond, I drop my hand and watch the condensation on the window disappear. "When you got back, I told you I wasn't mad. That I don't mind being alone."_

_ "I remember," he says gruffly, the guilt still inside him._

_ I turn back around, looking at his sullen expression. "I lied," I whisper._

_ He looks down, taking a step back before quietly saying, "He's going to be fine, Malon. He's a strong boy." He shuts my door as I sit on my bed, finding myself alone again._

* * *

><p>I'm roused from my shallow sleep by the soft click of a drawer closing. The darkness of the room disorients me, and I reach out to his body but find his side of the bed empty, the sheets and his pillow, cold. I roll over and find him standing by our dresser, an oil lamp dimly lit by him as he packs one of his bags with clothes.<p>

He sets his bag down and wanders back over to me, his boots echoing in the quiet room on the wood floor. He leans down and presses tender lips to my forehead. "Hey, sweetie," he whispers.

"Good morning," I murmur, my throat still groggy from the early hour.

"Did I wake you?" he asks, an apologetic set to his eyebrows as he sits on the edge of the bed.

I shrug, one side of my lips pulling up into a small smile.

He looks down at his hands, one of his tunics still in them. "I'm sorry. You can go back to sleep now."

I sit up, one of the straps on my dress slipping off my shoulder though he's quick to fix it for me. "No, I'll get up," I say.

"You don't have to," he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

I sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I lean in and kiss his cheek, "I'll go get you some breakfast."

"If you want to go back to sleep, you can," he says softly.

"I want to get you something to eat," I say with a tired smile, yawning afterward, stretching my arms above my head.

He wraps his arms around my waist, my arms wrapping around his neck and the next second he's pulling me up with him, hooking my legs around his torso. He walks downstairs with me in his arms, I lean my head on his shoulder just like when my dad used to hold me when I was small. He sits me down on the counter once we're in the kitchen, setting his hands on my thighs. I cup his face in my hands, grazing his earlobes with my thumbs and kissing his forehead before hopping down.

"Are eggs okay?" I ask, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Absolutely," he says, "I'm going to finish packing."

"Okay," I say, turning back to the cupboards to make him his breakfast.

I yawn as I watch his egg cooking in the frying pan, the butter sizzling and crackling. It hasn't hit me yet, that he's going now, or maybe I'm just too tired to fully comprehend that in an hour or so he'll be gone, but I almost feel comfortable with it, just knowing that he's definitely going to come back soon. I just have to make it through.

I hear him coming back down the stairs a few moments later and I smile up at him as he descends upon me. "Smells good," he says gently, not wanting to wake my dad.

I nod and dish the food out onto a plate for him, pouring him a glass of orange juice before sitting down beside him at the table. "Did you sleep okay?" I ask him.

He nods, giving me a reassuring smile that means he's telling the truth.

"Good," I say, resting my cheek on my fist, "it's a long road."

He looks down, scooping a bite onto his fork though he doesn't eat it immediately. "It'll be longer without you," he murmurs before filling his mouth.

"How do you think _I'm_ going to feel?" I ask, giving a theatrical roll of my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, "I'm just going to be waiting here... day in... day out... day in... day out..."

A breath of a laugh escapes his lips and it's only a moment before my character breaks and I join him. "I'm going to miss you," he says, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head slightly.

I look down at my hand, tracing patterns on the table with my fingers, mimicking the knots and whorls in the wood. His hand closes over top of mine then, the warmth of his palm causing my jittery fingers to pause. I realize then that the clang of his fork against his plate has ceased, that his glass is empty.

"Thank you," he says gently and then hesitates a moment before saying, "I should go." I nod, standing up and reaching towards his dishes. He picks them up though before I have the chance. "I've got it," he says.

"Thanks," I mumble, crossing my arms as I watch him put them in the sink and then continue over to his bag settled by the front door. I follow him as he puts on a thicker woven jacket to protect him in the early cold, and secures his hat on his head.

I stand in front of him and straighten his hat, smooth out his shoulders before laying a hand on his heart, feeling the faintest of thumping under all of his clothes. Under his jacket I can see the chain that holds my pendant.

"I'll come outside to see you off," I say after a moment, looking up at him with a melancholic grin.

He shakes his head, "It's cold outside."

"It's okay," I say, taking an old knit blanket that had been draped over the back of a couch. I wrap it around my shoulders and wait for him to open the door.

He sighs at my determination and opens the door, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he holds it open for me. I step out into the brisk morning, the sun's rays still hidden behind the horizon, but blue light starting to lighten the world. He closes the door behind him and unties Epona at the barn, leading her back over to me to say our final goodbyes.

"You've got everything?" I ask, the brief paranoia of him being unprepared making me anxious.

"Yup," he says.

"Clothes, food, your gear?" I ask.

"Yes, I have everything," he says with a nod.

I nod, hesitating only a moment before I step forward and he gathers me in his arms. I reach up and wind my arms around his neck, the blanket falling from my shoulders. I step onto his shoes, keeping my feet off of the cold ground as he holds me tight, pressing his lips to my neck.

"Malon," he murmurs softly, his lips so close to my ear, "I love you."

"I love you too," I say, my voice breaking slightly. "Come home to me, okay?"

"Okay, I will," he says softly.

"Promise?" I ask.

He lets go and I step off of his boots as he sets his eyes on me, looking just as clear and cold as the sky in the winter once the clouds have opened up. He crouches down and picks up the blanket that had slid from my shoulders and drapes it around me, pulling me back in once I'm covered again. "I promise."

* * *

><p>"<em>It's my fault. I shouldn't have let them take her," Link says, his head in his hands as he sits on my bed.<em>

_ I lean my head on his shoulder, my hand making circles on his back. "It's not your fault, Link. You did everything you could."_

_ "If I did everything I could, he wouldn't have taken her," Link cries out as if he's suffering._

_ "Shh." I reach up and let my fingernails trail gently along his neck, "Link, he wants you to have no other choice but to go to his tower. He doesn't want you to be prepared."_

_ "I've been given no other choice," Link mumbles, his voice breaking._

_ "No, no. That's what he wants you to think. If you just wait, think this through-"_

_ "And wait for the Princess to be killed? Malon, I can't do this!" he shouts, standing up away from my touch._

_ I can't ignore the hurt in my voice. "Link-"_

_ "He'll kill her and then who's fault is it? She's waiting for me to come," he spills out, his eyes wide as a flurry of emotions cross his face; pain, anger, fear._

_ I wait a moment, not wanting to be cut off yet again. I can feel tears in my eyes though I don't know why._

_ We both wait in silence for a long time as he tries to regain his composure. He swallows and then says so quietly that I almost miss it: "At least she'll know that I tried if he kills me."_

_ And then I know why the tears are there. Because he knows he must leave immediately, and he knows that because of that, the battle with Ganondorf will claim his life. There is no time for him to make a plan with the other sages, no time to get Princess Zelda out first. He's expecting death, accepting its inevitability._

_ "No," I say abruptly, standing up to look him in the eye. _

_ "Mal," he says gently, his voice so weak, the pain bluntly clear in his eyes._

_ I put my hand to my forehead and divert my eyes from his, almost willing myself to believe this isn't happening, that none of this ever happened. I burst into sobs, and look back up, watching his chest tremble as he watches me, watching his face contort into a miserable image. "You can't think that way," I manage to mumble though my throat feels as if it's closing. "You can't let him take everything again."_

_ He steps forward and quickly sweeps me up into his arms. "Oh, Malon. That'll never happen," he whispers, his voice shaking._

_ I nod against his shoulder, drying my tears on his tunic though his words aren't able to stop the anxious cries burst from my lips. _

_ He pulls back after a moment and wipes away my tears with his sleeve. I adjust his hat on his head, smooth out his shoulders. "I need to go now," he whispers, kissing my forehead once and then turning away. For a moment I'm too stunned to move, and then he's out of the door, and then I hear him leave the house. The slam of the door snaps me back to reality, starting my heart again as I sprint after him, the adrenaline rushing in my heart as I fear missing him._

_ As I fly out the door, I find him still preparing Epona to go, tears streaming down his face that he'd tried to hide from me upstairs. For a moment I don't feel the cold, I just feel the relief in my heart that he's still here, so I can tell him I love him before he goes, so I can beg him to come back._

_ We stand across from each other, his eyes still wide in shock until they ease into concern. "You're shivering," he murmurs._

_ I'm aching inside, wishing he didn't have to leave, but knowing that he's doing it for Hyrule, for everyone, for me. I've never felt such a weight on my heart, felt it in such a freezing grasp. "It's cold."_

* * *

><p>"You should go back inside," Link murmurs, after holding me for so long. "You're going to catch a cold."<p>

I nod, stepping back away from him. I look down and let my hair fall in front of my face, hiding my misty eyes.

"I'll be back in a few days," he says, his voice low and reassuring.

I look up and smile at him, "I know."

He mounts Epona and gazes back towards me. "Don't forget about me," he says with a half smile, our little joke for every time he has to go.

"Good luck." He nods at me once before kicking his heels into Epona's sides and disappearing moments later behind the corner. "Be safe," I say quietly to myself once the sound of hoofs on the ground has faded into the chirping of crickets, the soft whir of the wind, the gentle trills of the birds.

I'm about to head back inside when a flutter out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. A spark in my imagination connects what I'm seeing with someone I haven't seen in many years. I envision the sparkling blue light to follow the white wings, the fairy that accompanied Link.

But when I turn to capture her in my vision, all I see is a fluttering white butterfly, lost in a whimsical dance. I follow it out into the corral, alone amongst a chorus of early morning sounds but able to engage me.

It flits off and out of the corral too soon, before the sun has come up to illuminate its display. I hold onto the bars and watch it go, beyond the walls, beyond my line of sight. It's so small, so pure, but able to go so high.

I wander back into the house, already the smell of him fading from our sheets, the drawers empty of his clothes. I miss his clothes on the floor, the sight of him fast asleep on the bed after a long day, his face returning to a state of innocence, his mouth popped open. I wish that the smell of his hair lingered longer on the pillow cases as I rest my head once more, wishing he was here beside me to warm me up.

My door opens a few moments later when my consciousness is almost drained away, my eyes flashing open as I wait with my back to the door, my back to the demons.

"Malon?" my dad asks in a hushed voice.

"Yeah?" I whisper.

"Did he leave already?" he asks, confusion in his tone.

"Yeah... Dad. He left early this morning," I say quietly still, refusing to turn towards him.

"Okay..." he mumbles, closing the door again. When he's gone I close my eyes, tears welling between the corner of my eye and the bridge of my nose, but no one is here to wipe them away this time. I know my dad worries when he's away, worried that I'll slip away like I did once before. I don't like thinking about that time, so I quickly shun it from my mind.

My heart starts racing and I pull the blankets up close to my chin, hiding within them. I'd almost let the demons back in.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright guys, we can do this! Five reviews before chapter three!<strong>


	3. Belief

**Hey everybody. So no, I didn't get five reviews. I got four. Which come on. But I had to update, one, because I was coerced by zelda-fanatic121, and two, because I beat Skyward Sword a few days ago and had to go on a caps lock rampage about it (in the best way possible).**

**HOLY CRAP SKYWARD SWORD WAS SO CRAZY BLEW MY FLIPPIN' MIND AND BASICALLY LINK AND ZELDA ARE THE CUTEST THINGS EVER AND HOLY HANNAH . SO IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED IT GET THE FRACK ON IT BECAUSE JUST WOW. PEOPLE THAT SAY THE GRAPHICS WEREN'T GOOD CAN TAKE A HIKE. THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL. THE WRITING WAS SOOO GOOD, LOTS OF IT WAS EXTREMELY WITTY AND CLEVER AND BASICALLY THE BEST WRITTEN ZELDA POSSIBLY EVER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS MY FAVORITE ZELDA EVER, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY UP THERE. GOOD JOB NINTENDO! THANKS FOR MAKING THOSE FIVE YEARS PAY OFF.**

**Ahem. Okay. So also, I'm not going to lie to you people, I saw Breaking Dawn a while ago. Basically the most beautiful song ever played and I'm obsessed with it and if I hadn't already constructed the playlist for this story it would defs be on there. But you guys should check it out anyways. It can be the Memento bonus track! It's called "Turning Page" by Sleeping At Last. So pretty. The song for this week is...**

**Belief by Gavin DeGraw**

**Five reviews? I have faith in you guys :)**

* * *

><p>When I wake again it's hot inside my room, late afternoon. My father hasn't woken me, nor has Ingo, which I find odd. Surely they would've required help outside today. Perhaps they're still sleeping, though with Ingo's strong resolve for work, I'm doubtful.<p>

I walk outside to find it warm and sunny, the air humid. I love this kind of day. Dad is out in the corral, brushing one of the horses. I walk up to him and put on a smile, trying to convince them that I'm alright.

"Oh, hey Mal," he says as he notices my approach.

"Hi," I say, taking the brush from him and taking over. I can tell by how skittish the horse is that this isn't my dad's strong suit. "How come you didn't wake me up this morning?" I ask.

"Oh..." he mumbles, blowing air out from his lips, "just thought you could use some rest."

I narrow my eyes, my hand stopping on the horse's back. "Why?"

He swallows and turns to face me though his eyes continuously avoid mine. "Well... I know that... that when he's um, when he's gone-" he clears his throat, "that it's uh, hard on yeh."

I raise an eyebrow, "...What?"

He rolls his eyes, his discomfort becoming apparent. "Malon... I just thought that maybe if you got more rest you'd be... better... you've had a tough few months-"

"Dad," I say, interrupting him, "that was a long time ago."

"Look, I know, I know," he says waving his hand, "but we all know that things were worse when... well, when he wasn't here afterward. With what happened to you-"

"Why are you dancing around saying it, Dad? I know what happened, it's no secret to me. It happened _to me_. Why do you think you have to walk on eggshells when you're around me?" I demand, getting frustrated.

"Because I saw what it did to you. Maybe you don't remember but I never want to see you that way ever again. Forgive your father for worrying about his little girl," he mumbles, his voice growing coarse.

"Dad..." I mumble, guilt weighing out my frustration, "you don't need to worry anymore. I'm going to be okay."

"Going to be?" he asks skeptically.

"I _am_... okay," I say, cursing myself for not catching that sooner.

"Mal, I just want you to be happy. That's it," he says softly, swiping his hand in front of him like he's drawing a line.

"He's only going to be gone for a few days, Dad," I say, a breath of a smile tugging at my lips, "please believe me when I say that I'm alright."

He touches his knuckle to my chin briefly and then puts his hands on his hips, finding interest elsewhere. "Alright," he mutters.

I glance off into the distance, wanting someone to talk to, but knowing that he's too far away, and most likely busy right now. "You know what, Dad?" I say, putting the brush back in his hand, "I think I _will_ take the day off."

"Hmm? Where are you going?" he asks.

I climb up onto the horse's back and take the reins. "Kakariko. It's been a while since I've seen Anju."

"Oh," he says like he's surprised, "well that should be good, seeing your friends... and uh, whatnot."

I smirk at him. I love seeing his attempts at carrying on a conversation with me on a subject he's clearly not well versed in. He's never been good at talking to me, but I always knew what was in his heart, the way he would hesitate after he tucked me in bed like he was waiting for me to fall asleep. Like he was waiting for me to be safe.

He's always wanted me to be safe. Always.

* * *

><p>"<em>I just came back to get some things. But I have to go now," he says urgently, making quick steps across the room to pick up things he'd left behind.<em>

_ "I don't understand. Why do you have to go now? I thought you said-" I begin in a panic._

_ "I know what I said," he says, his voice raised. He pauses for a moment before saying, "But things changed." _

_ "What changed?" I demand, my eyes desperately pleading for an explanation._

_ He swallows and looks down at his hands, "He has her."_

_ I furrow my brow, my heart starting to pound. "Who?"_

_ "Ganon," he says, the word a dead weight on his tongue. "He has the Princess."_

_ I shake my head, not able to find the logic in his words. "That's impossible... You said that you hadn't seen the Princess for seven years."_

_ Link nods, a muscle beneath his eye twitching as he tries to find words. "She was Sheik... all this time she was hiding from all of us."_

_ "Sheik? Th – the man that used to help you?" I ask, trying to place the Princess Zelda I'd seen once as a young girl into the person that I knew as Sheik._

_ "It was a disguise... but as soon as she appeared to me... he was waiting," Link murmurs, his voice aching. His legs give out as he stands in front of my bed, collapsing down as he covers his mouth with his hands. "He's going to kill her," he says, his voice hollow as his eyes grow wide._

_ I sit down beside him, taking one of his hands in both of mine. My heart is hurting for him, hurting for his guilt. I feel tears in my eyes as I watch him, the struggle on his face causing my lips to tremble. "You won't let him," I mumble, my words slurred together under my grief._

_ "She's right, Link," comes a small, musical voice. A flutter of wings lands on his shoulder, her small hand pulling a strand of his hair out of his face. "You've never given up before, you can't now."_

_ "Navi," he mutters, shaking his head, "but..."_

_ "But what? I know what you're thinking, Link. But you can't think that way. She needs you now, you're the only one that can help her," she says softly, disappearing back inside his hat._

_ He drops his head, his fingers around the back of his neck. His fingernails are white under the pressure he's gripping his neck with, red lines being etched into his skin. And then he speaks so quietly I barely hear him, and I know that it's hard for him to say, that he doesn't want to admit it. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have let them take her."_

_ I refuse to believe that. He would never have just left her without trying, he would never give up. I rest my hand on his back, feeling his heart beating behind his ribs. I rest my head on his shoulder and give a silent prayer that he'll believe me. "It's not your fault, Link."_

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mal! What are you doing here?"<p>

"Hey Anj," I say, "do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all, it's great to see you!" Anju says enthusiastically, opening her door for me. "How are you doing?"

"Um, pretty good I guess," I say, my voice stuttering as I try to make it believable.

"Well that's good," she says, motioning towards the table for me to sit down, "is Link at home... or is he out-"

"He had to go into town today, he's going to be there for a couple days," I say, sitting down and sitting on my hands.

"Oh," Anju says, turning her back to me and filling a kettle with water. She puts it over the fire and takes two mugs out from the cupboard. "And... how are you holding up?" she asks hesitantly.

"I'm fine," I say, watching her move around the kitchen without turning to face me.

"Good, good," she says, sitting back down and resting her chin on her fist. She looks down at the table for just a moment before settling both of her hands down on the table. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business."

"Anj," I begin, silencing her, "it's fine. I just thought I'd come visit while I have some free time. I mean, when he's at home I like to be with him... you know?"

"He's away a lot isn't he?" she asks.

"I think it's hard for him to stay in one place after moving around so much," I admit. "I mean... he likes being at home... but I can tell it agitates him to be stuck."

"I don't think he feels stuck, Malon," she says.

"I know he wants me to move around with him... but I can't," I say softly, resting my cheek on my palm.

"Do you want to?" Anju asks, standing up and checking on the boiling water.

I don't answer for a long time, just watch as she prepares tea for the both of us. Once she sets it back down in front of me, I say softly, "I don't know."

"It's tough," she says.

I nod, sipping my tea. I wish it wasn't so, I wish that he didn't get up in the middle of the night and ride around Hyrule until the sun came up. I wish that he didn't feel pinned down by staying at the ranch with me. I wish that he didn't have to feel the urge to check up on everyone to make sure that they're okay because that's what he's been doing his whole life.

"He'll be home before you know it," Anju says, laying one of her hands over mine, giving me a warm, reassuring smile.

"I know," I say, raising the corners of my lips.

"And maybe he'll realize that he's crazy to ever leave you behind," she says with a smirk.

"Well, I don't think he can exactly turn down the Princess's request... but maybe he won't want to leave of his own accord," I say with a brief laugh.

"The Princess? That's why he's in town?" she asks.

"Yeah, he didn't say much, just that she wanted to meet with him. I like to think he didn't want to go..." I say.

"Do you think..." she begins, but then says, "never mind."

"What?" I ask, "What were you going to say?"

"It's stupid. I don't even know why I thought it," she says, shaking her head and her cheeks turning pink.

"Well then there's no harm in telling me, right? What is it?" I ask, inclining my head towards her, awaiting her response.

She rolls her eyes. "Alright," she says abruptly, readjusting in her seat like she's trying to get comfortable enough to give her answer. "I was going to ask... if you think that maybe... Link leaves so much for... for Zelda. But it's stupid. Obviously he wouldn't be going behind your back about that kind of thing, right?"

I stare back into her eyes, my face placid a moment before I can't help but let out a soft laugh. "No, he wouldn't."

Anju narrows her eyes, "You don't worry about that at all?"

I shake my head. "No."

Anju swallows, confusion crossing her face. "It's n-not that I think he is... or anything at all. But I just think it would be natural to think that way. But you don't have any suspicions whatsoever?"

I shrug, "I don't know. I guess it's just when we're going to bed at night, and he smiles at me like I'm the only person he wants to be with at that moment, I don't have to worry. And it makes me feel better because he smiles when I know that underneath he's still trying to conquer a world of torment. Why would he do that if he didn't care about me as much as someone else? Why would he pretend?"

Anju looks down. "I don't know."

She takes another drink of her tea and I glance off through a window, laughing to myself once. "There was a time where I worried about that though. When it seemed like he would risk anything to save her. And I thought, why is she so important?"

"And? What did you decide?"

I smile, removing my eyes from the bird sitting on the branch outside the window and letting them rest in the dark liquid inside the mug. "That everyone is important. It doesn't matter who... he'll help anyone if they need it. Even his enemies."

"So what makes it different for you?" she asks, a question that could easily be interpreted as obnoxious but she asks it in such a polite way that I can't help but answer honestly.

"That I need to help him. That's what makes things real, I guess. The fact that he's been through things that only I know about, things we've been through together, and so no one else can help him except me. He doesn't like asking for help."

She smiles at me, "But even the Hero needs help sometimes, doesn't he?"

I nod. "Even the Hero."

* * *

><p>I feel closer to him at night. I feel that maybe as I'm looking up at the stars, so is he, and I can see his reflection in the night sky looking back at me. There's only a sliver of moon left tonight, so there's less of the moon to illuminate the darkness. I kneel down on our bed and look up through the window, imagining that he's looking through a window at the castle and holding my pendant tight in his hand. I clasp my hands together at my chest and close my eyes, sending a prayer to him.<p>

_Link... do you think tonight we would be together if you had a reason to stay here? If it hadn't happened? Tonight of all nights I wish that things would have been different so I could know that you were safe in my arms instead of far away. Be safe tonight, and think of me before you close your eyes and fall asleep. If you wake up, imagine that I'm awake too, and that I'll stay awake until you fall asleep, _I think, grateful for the barrier of my eyelids to keep the anxious tears from spilling over.

_ I don't know if you can hear me. In fact I'm quite certain that you can't. But if there are angels out there, or souls in the stars that can hear thoughts and pass on messages, I hope you hear this one. Please come home to me safe. Tonight you will rest in my mind. _

I pull the covers up to my chin, and inch myself onto his side of the bed, nestling my nose into his pillow, resting my knees against the wall as I pretend that I'm curled around him. I slip my hands beneath his pillow and cradle it between my ear and my palm, though something crinkles beneath my touch. I sit up, my hand searching blindly in the dark until it comes across something smooth and stiff. I take it in between my fingers and turn the dial on the lamp, the small flame illuminating a crinkled piece of paper he'd left beneath his pillow.

I narrow my eyes and unfold it, finding his messy script lining the page. For a moment the words are blurry and impossible to read as my eyes fill, just the sight of his writing bringing him infinitely closer to me. And when the tears have dispersed I find his words being lifted off the page and into my mind as if he were speaking them himself.

And I'm not alone for a moment. The demons back away into their corners again.

I smile when I turn the lamp back off, tears streaming down my temples. I hold the letter tight against my chest and fall asleep quick, my blankets falling to my waist though I feel no urgency to pull them back up.

He'll wait all night for me to fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, short update since not everyone followed through with their reviews. Hah, I'm joking. But let's pull together and review and then I can give you better and bigger updates! Compromise?<strong>


	4. Light A Way

**Hey everybody! Good work with the reviews. You guys make me one happy kid :) So as promised, here is the next chapter! This one is called... Light A Way. The song is by He is We which is one of my absolute favorite bands of all time. Everyone reading this should check them out. They are an incredibly talented little duo and make amazing music. One of the few bands that pleases me with every song they write.**

**If you want a sneak peek at the songs I'll be using for the story, the playlist and album art for Memento are at: leavenodoubt1432 dot tumblr dot com. (Obviously, just replace the "dots" with actual dots.) Also on the blog are a few pictures that I drew. (though keep in mind, I am NOT a self-proclaimed artist) One I drew a few months ago, and it kind of inspired me to write Memento. One of them, I drew specifically FOR Memento, and one of them I drew for my friend Elena, AKA Zelda-Fanatic121's story "The Legend of Zelda: Terminal Twilight." You guys should definitely check out her story, especially if you're in the mood for a good ZeLink.**

**Now, to address the people saying that I shouldn't force people to review, I say this: I am not forcing anyone to review, if you don't want to review, then don't. But I can't guarantee that you'll get another update. If my asking you to review puts you off, then sorry, I guess you don't care about how this story goes. The thing is, I am a very busy person, so I am not going to spend hours writing with little to no feedback. It's discouraging and disappointing.**

**Renegador73095: Thank you! I needed to use a translator to understand your review fully, but it meant a lot to me!**

**FoxyMonday: I hope you like this chapter after what you said ;)**

**Savinglifelessness: one of the best reviews I've ever gotten. And thanks for reading After Seven Years too!**

**Simetra: Hmm, I might just have to. Skyward Sword was soo cute! Stay posted and we'll see what happens after this one is over!**

* * *

><p><em>I fold a letter back up he'd given me once, the edges worn, the surface soft and the ink faded. I grin as I glance out through my window, knowing that he'll be here tomorrow at the latest. It was three days ago that he left for the desert, and though I constantly worry for his safety, I've grown more comfortable over time. I have to tell myself that he knows what he's doing. He has to remind me too.<em>

_ I'm undeniably selfish. The fate of Hyrule, or even greater, the world, rests on his shoulders, and yet I don't refuse his offer to visit the ranch in between the places he sees. I welcome this time, I pray while he's away that he'll be safe, that something greater than myself will guide him home. That it will bring me back to him. _

_ I lay back on my pillow and touch my hand to my mouth, my fingers fluttering over my lips as my mind traces over the last time we'd parted. He'd kissed me so softly. _

_ My fingers ache for the time that they can fit between the spaces in his, my toes curling in anticipation as I pull my knees up to my chest. _Soon_, I have to tell myself, _he'll be home soon_._

_ Our time is short when he's here, he takes much of the time to rest, to eat, but it's much the same for me. As long as he's here that sore spot in my chest feels better, the part that worries and worries for him. I laugh to myself as I recall him telling me that he'd worry about me while he was away. I'd told him he had it backwards. I don't know what he has to worry for now._

_ That's what he does though. He worries about everyone but himself._

_ That's part of what scares me. I know that should the situation arise, that he would put himself in harms way for the safety of another. I wish I could understand his selflessness, know why he wants to protect a world that has done nothing but take from him. He is the greatest victim of us all._

_ I hope he'll be okay after all of this is done. I hope he'll be able to look at me and smile like he means it. I'm scared that everything out there will change him and hurt him and he won't be able to see anything without seeing those terrible things first._

_ I unfold the piece of paper again, reading its contents with a smile. I pray that the soft humor, the light naivety won't leave him forever. _

_ I jump as I hear the door slam shut. I lay paralyzed with momentary shock until I realize that my father shouldn't be back from his delivery to Kakariko yet. I stand and glance out the window, finding Epona below._

_ My heart stutters in excitement as I spin back to my dresser. I glance into my mirror once, fixing my tousled hair, straightening my shirt. I fold the letter up and shoving it into a drawer beneath my clothes, managing to shut it away just as he opens my door._

_ He looks dazed as he stands in my doorway, his eyes softening as they find mine. I lean against the dresser, resting the heels of my hands on its surface as I face him, waiting for him to move closer. "Hi," I manage to say, slightly breathlessly._

_ He takes a few quick steps forward then, reaching towards me and I close the distance between us. He cups my face into his hands and brings his lips to mine abruptly, his eyes squeezed shut as he kisses me roughly. He pulls back just for a moment and says, "Malon, I missed you."_

_ "I – I missed you too," I say, holding onto his waist. Something isn't right though; something in his haste, his desperation. "Link... what's wrong? You're trembling-"_

_ As if just remembering something, he pushes away from me, his face losing any ease it had once held. He looks anxious as he holds his forehead in his palm, his hand shaking. He steps past me quickly, letting out a shuddering breath as he does so. "I just came back to get some things. But I have to go now," he mutters._

_ That pain in my chest doesn't relent like it usually does as soon as he's home. It clutches my heart even harder. No. He can't go._

_ "I don't understand. Why do you have to go now? I thought you said-" I say, the stress making my throat ache as I follow him pick up his things._

_ "I know what I said," he blurts out, and then stops, turning back around to me. "But things changed."_

* * *

><p>I remember the way I used to look at the ranch in the late summer, some of the leaves on the trees turning gold and the rich color of the sunset brushing across the grass that ripples in the breeze. It used to be someplace magical, like a picture from a story book.<p>

Now it turns a knot in my stomach as I instead feel the chill of winter creeping in, stealing the vivid green from my trees, the white light from my days. As I gaze across the fields today, a sweeping sense of nostalgia tugs at my lips. My eyes follow the apparition of a small red-headed child chasing a butterfly in her little white dress, a yellow handkerchief billowing out behind her like a cape. She isn't running through a field though, she's running through a sea of golden thread, and she's chasing a star.

She disappears suddenly though, her and the butterfly slipping out of my vision as a seizing ache rocks through my lungs, short coughs escaping my lips. I straighten up, having nearly doubled over with a hand on my chest. I clear my throat, taking a deep breath when I start coughing again, this time though it's more difficult to shrug off. I feel my face getting hot, panic entering my body as I can't stop. I can't get enough air to my lungs.

My feet start stumbling beneath me, carrying me towards the house, to water. I try to cover my mouth with my hand, but it's useless. It's like I have no control over my body as it convulses with endless, breathless coughs. I'm sucking in air in between each, but it doesn't seem to reach my lungs. I can't breathe. _Please, somebody help me._

When I finally stumble through the door and make my way over to the counter, I reach for a glass and the pitcher of water sitting out. I lift the pitcher in my hand and attempt to pour the water into the glass, but I knock the glass over, spilling the water in the process. Using whatever control I can maintain, I set the glass back up and pour just enough for me to swallow. I have to use both hands to bring the cup to my mouth, my body shaking beyond my control, and let the water slip past my lips and down my throat, soothing the dry ache for now.

I crumble to the floor, resting my forehead against the cupboards, panting, my chest heaving. Sweat on the back of my neck leaves my hair damp, my body shivering as it cools back down. I stay there for a long while, unsure of if I should move or not, afraid to spur on the erratic coughing fits.

Once my breathing has slowed back down, the sudden aggressiveness of the fit leaving my body fatigued, I make my way up to my room, finding that the sun has slipped down over the horizon. I crawl into my bed, not bothering to change my clothes, shivering and holding my knees tight to my chest.

My door swings open a few moments later, and I open my weary eyes to find my father standing in the doorway, watching me apprehensively. "Malon? I heard you coughing. Are you alright?" he asks.

"Mhmm," I murmur, "I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" he asks, entering my room and closing the door behind him. He comes and sits on the edge of the bed, laying his palm gently on my knee that is hidden beneath the covers.

"Yeah, it was nothing," I tell him gently, closing my eyes again.

He let's out a shallow sigh. "Alright, Mal. Tell me if it gets worse, got it?"

I nod, waiting until he finally stands up and leaves to turn over and reach over to his side of the bed. I slip my fingers into his pillow case where I'd tucked the letter he wrote me. I don't open it, I just hold it close to me, feeling some peace as my eyes slowly close.

I remember when Link would run me a hot bath when I was sick, boiling countless pots of water without hesitation at the first hint of illness. I would lay in the water until it grew cold, until my fingers were past being wrinkled, inhaling the steam and allowing it to sooth my throat and congested lungs. He would just sit beside me, resting his chin on the edge of the tub and make sure I was okay, sometimes dangling his fingers in the water.

And then he would touch his damp fingertips to my face, erasing the salty trails down my cheeks from discomfort or pain, and replace them with pure water, like clean tears.

* * *

><p>"<em>Three days, four at most."<em>

_ "Longer than usual," I murmur._

_ "It's a longer trip than usual. Across the desert," he explains._

_ "Will you be safe?" I ask, a constant concern of mine._

_ "Of course," he says softly, closing his eyes as he lays in the grass, his hands behind his head._

_ I bite my lip but lay down beside him, lolling my head to the side to look at his placid profile. "This is the last one... isn't it?"_

_ His eyelashes flutter, his eyes opening just so he can answer me as he turns his face towards me. "Yeah. It is."_

_ "And then..." I trail off._

_ "And then I'll fight him," he finishes for me._

_ My brow furrows as I watch him look completely at ease with the situation. "Are you ready to fight him?" I ask._

_ "I will be," he says, opening one of his eyes to examine my face. "Stop worrying," he adds after a moment, "it'll make you sick."_

_ I roll my eyes to no one in particular. "You know why I do," I mutter, closing my eyes as my gaze returns to the sky._

_ I hear him take in a sharp breath and suddenly the backs of my eyelids go dark, the sunlight not shining through and turning them red. I open my eyes to find his face hovering above mine, his forehead crumpled as the blue in his eyes warps, anxiety twisting the liquid azure into a hurricane. "What can I do to make you believe me?" he asks almost silently._

_ I pause, momentarily struck at how close he is to me, trying to kick my mind into making up an intelligible reply. "Nothing," I finally whisper before he almost immediately claims my lips with his. There's no urgency in the way his lips move with mine, there's just an endearing sincerity that makes me believe he's relaxed about this whole thing, and that I should be too._

_ He pulls back too soon, brushing the tip of his nose to mine. "I should go," he says, "it's getting late."_

_ I purse my lips, tingling slightly from the contact with his, and wait as he pushes himself off of me. "Help me up?" I ask._

_ "Of course," he replies, taking my hands and helping me up to my feet. As soon as I'm on the same level as him, I sling my arms around his neck, holding him once before he has to go. _

_ "Come back home, okay?" _

_ "I will," he says, reluctantly letting go of my waist, turning to look at Epona, grazing beside us. "Stop worrying," he chides, reading the hesitancy on my face._

_ I playfully shove his chest away from me, "Just go then," I say sarcastically, but then with a note of seriousness, add, "but don't take too long."_

_ "I'll try," he says, grinning at me as he climbs onto Epona's back._

_ "I'll see you soon?" I question, my eyes pleading for a good answer._

_ He nods, his eyes falling from mine to rest on the pendant he made me. "Keep that close. And when you can see the stars tonight, think of me, and I'll be thinking of you."_

_ "And for a moment we'll be together just like we are now? Thinking of each other?"_

_ He laughs silently, shaking his head. "I'm always thinking of you."_

_ I shrug, my cheeks turning pink, "Then we're always together, aren't we?"_

_ He nods, gazing back ahead toward his destination, before kicking his heels into Epona's side and setting off without a backwards glance._

* * *

><p><em>The first day is tolerable, the second day is difficult, the third day is unbearable. <em>

_ Having not heard from him in so long is starting to wear me down, eat at my nerves. I can't seem to find enough to keep me busy, keep my mind on other things, though the thought of him never strays far regardless. It's not as hard as it once was, where I constantly worried. Where the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn't subside. _

_ I walk up the stairs to my bedroom, hoping to find some solace there and retire for the evening. I know it's going to be difficult to find my way through another night of wondering where he is, but this should be the last. I stick my hands into the pockets of my apron as I make my way over to my bed, but I find something within the pocket that surprises me. The worn edges of a piece of paper._

_ Hands trembling in excitement, I remove the paper from my pocket and bring it in front of my eyes, unfolding the soft creases and reading the words that are written there:_

_ ** Mal, don't forget about the rock beneath the floorboards.**_

**_ I won't tell if you don't. _**

**_ Link_**

_I smile with quivering lips, kneeling on my bed and looking out the window to find the first of the stars showing. I fold the letter back up, smiling to myself as I do so. I hope he's thinking of me now just like he said he would. _

_ I lay back on my pillow, my fingers trailing gently over my lips. _Soon_, I tell myself, _he'll be home soon.

* * *

><p>My throat hurts when I wake up, my breathing hoarse. I vaguely recall waking up several times in the night and morning, being unable to breath, coughing hard. Dad had come in a few times, once with a glass of water, once he just watched uncomfortably from my doorway, once he brushed the damp hair off my neck.<p>

This time when I start coughing, he waits until I'm finished to talk to me. "Do you need to go to the doctor?" he asks gently, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No," I manage to say though my voice is croaky and barely audible.

"Then you should be taking your medicine," he says stiffly.

"No," I say stronger this time, sitting up and blinking a few times as I feel blood rush to my head. "I'm not taking that."

"Malon," he begins, "do you want to stay sick?"

"I don't want to take that medicine," I say, my voice thick as I feel tears pricking at my eyes.

"He would want you to take it, Mal," he says softly, easing off as my emotions begin to show.

I shake my head, trying to keep my lips sealed shut so that I don't burst out into exhausted and raw cries. I lay back down, trembling as I face away from him, hiding within my blankets. I just want him to be here. Him being away is tough, but I've become used to knowing that he'll come home, holding onto that to get me through. I've learned to respect what he's gone through and why he does what he does, why he leaves for periods of time.

But when I feel like my body is breaking, there's nothing I want except for him to be here and to comfort me through it.

I feel a hand on my shoulder then, and I jump to find my dad sitting down on my bed. "Please don't do this to me, Mal," he whispers.

"I'm fine," I argue weakly, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing up just to prove to him that I'm alright, just like I'd told him when Link first left. I'm not going to be alright, I am alright. I am.

"Whoa, Malon. Sit back down," he starts to say, his voice sounding distant though, something not right about the way my feet are moving beneath me. I reach my hand out, catching the doorpost before I let myself fall. I turn back to find Dad watching me with anxiety written in his eyes, his hand outstretched like he's about to catch me.

"See," I mumble, "I'm fine."

He drops his hand quickly as if he's trying to erase the fact that he'd reached out to me at all.

I grip the handrail tight as I make my way down the stairs, my mind not confident with following my feet. I make my way to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, the strength of my arm depleted but able to do what it couldn't yesterday. I gulp the water back, feeling the groggy residue of the night before being filtered out of my system already.

My lungs expel a few remaining coughs as I try to contain them within myself so that Dad won't hear. I wipe the back of my hand across my mouth and head outside, hoping that the clear air will help rejuvenate me.

It's warm outside, already late. I'd slept longer than I thought. This isn't what I wanted. I didn't want things to change while he was away. I wanted to prove that I was better, that I wasn't going to let what happened get to me while he's away. It's easier to find something to overpower the ache when he's here, not that I'll ever completely forget, but it's easier. I wish I was strong enough.

I sit outside of the ranch until the sun goes down, waiting for some sign of him from the castle. I wait underneath the tree by the entrance and sip tea, one of my blankets draped around my shoulders. Dad checks on me a few times, Ingo peers around the corner at me once, but they leave me alone. I guess they just want to make sure I'm still breathing.

The postman nods to me as he passes, but that is the extent of human interaction.

I like it this way. It's peaceful.

When the moon has drawn the warmth of day away, I head back inside, trying to ignore the disappointment that he didn't come.

I change out of my clothes and find something lighter to sleep in. I shiver as the stale air makes contact with my bare skin, quickly slipping on my nightgown and covering myself in my bed. I keep the letter he wrote me beneath my pillow, and pray silently for his safe return, a small spark of excitement lighting inside of me as I realize that he said he'd be home by tomorrow.

I'm drifting off when I hear my door open and close, quiet footsteps echoing in the quiet closer to me. I wait for my dad to tell me he's going to sleep, to let him know if I feel sick in the night.

The mattress shifts underneath me, a warm hand resting on my shoulder and then something softer, something that makes my heart twist inside of my chest. Lips on my bare shoulder.

I roll over, looking up in the dim light that streams through the windows to find a familiar face above me, weary eyes capturing the star dust and lighting up. I sit up, pulling in a soft gasp as I wrap my arms around his neck, his protective arms winding around my upper body.

"Hey," is all I manage to get out, tired relief straining my throat.

"Hey," he whispers back, his fingers combing through my hair and trailing down my back.

"I missed you," I say, the emotion showing clearly in my voice now.

"Me too," he replies softly.

I pull back slightly, resting my palm on his cheek. "How are you?"

He lets out a breath of a laugh. "Tired," he whispers.

I nod, a shaky cough slipping past my lips. "Do you want to go to bed?" I ask, brushing his bangs out of his eyes with my fingers.

"Not if you're still up," he answers, leaning in to caress his lips to my face again.

"You're so cold," I say gently, "let me run you a bath so you can warm up."

He grins at me, though his eyes are still drained. "You're tired, you don't have to do that."

"I'm awake now," I murmur against his skin. "I'll do it while you unpack."

"M'kay," he says, touching his nose to mine.

I kiss him again, feeling nothing but calm as I sit in his arms, just like he'd never been gone. "Alright," I whisper, reluctantly letting go of him and standing up, "I'll go start that."

"Don't take too long," he says, holding onto my hand until he can't reach any longer.

It doesn't take as long as I had expected to heat enough water for our small tub. Link puts his things away, drops the tunic he's wearing and his hat on the floor, leaving him in his undershirt and light pants. He kicks off his boots and watches me fill the tub, offering to help though I neglect him, wanting to do this for him after he'd done it for me so many times.

When I return upstairs with the last pot of water, I find him sitting on the edge with his pant legs rolled up, his feet in the water. I pour the last of it in and join him on the edge, leaning my head on his shoulder as we sit with each other.

"I was going to come home tomorrow, but I decided I couldn't wait any longer," he whispers.

I smirk, linking one of my arms in his, resting my other hand on his forearm, "I'm glad."

"Your hands are so cold," he says, claiming the hand I'd settled on his arm in one of his.

"I don't feel cold beside you," I say, though I can't deny the difference in temperature between his hand and mine.

He lets go of my hand then and grips the edge of the bathtub. I expect him to climb out so he can undress, but instead, he slips right into the water, completely clothed.

I let out one shocked gasp as I smile down at him, "What are you doing?" I ask as the water sloshes up the sides, splashing me.

He reaches up and takes my wrist in his drenched hand, gently tugging me in after him. Carefully, I follow him in, laying by his side as I rest my head on his shoulder, my hair falling into the water, the side of my face against his wet clothes. His arms encircle me, radiating with the warmth of the water.

"I don't want you to ever be cold," he murmurs once the splashing has subsided and all we can hear are the crickets outside.

* * *

><p><strong>Keep those reviews coming guys, I really appreciate your time! Also, I rushed to put this up, excuse any errors and I'll get to them as soon as I can.<strong>


	5. All About Your Heart

**Oh hi. Can I just say that I love all of you guys so dearly. Those reviews came in so fast and it wasn't even just five. Ladies and Gentlemen, we had a whole six. Yes, six. Hah, I joke, it's not that big of a deal, but it means a lot to me! It makes me have to write really fast too, so you guys are getting the desired effect. Can we get even more than last time? Only time will tell.**

**This week, our song of the chapter isssss (drum roll...) All About Your Heart by Mindy Gledhill.**

**Mindy isn't a very well known artist, but this song is so beautiful. You guys should do her a huge favor and check her out. Her music is so amazing and just well spoken and not cheesy. Which is a plus. I fell in love with this song, and I'm so glad I had a chance to listen to her.**

**Renegader73095: Thanks again for your reviews, you make me feel so happy despite the fact I don't understand Italian (it is Italian... right?) which means I have to go to Google Translate and it usually spits it out somewhat wrong. I get the picture, and I like it a lot. You are awesome.**

**MalonLink: Thank you! That was the goal in this story that I wanted to do better than After Seven Years. The romance is key!**

**Hoenn Master: continue to theorize dear friend, I shall not give way to what the future holds for our characters. Not yet at least :)**

**FoxyMonday: I will say that it is not entirely because of Link leaving. Actually, it doesn't really have to do with that a lot. But his leaving does have an effect on her which you shall find out later on! Her sickness is a factor in her demons, but not at all inclusive. I love your reviews! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**If I haven't addressed you here ^ I've addressed you via PM :D**

* * *

><p>I wake up in the night with a dry irritation in my throat, causing me to cough and waking up Link.<p>

I know when he's awake when his breathing pattern alters slightly, picking up in pace. "Malon?" he asks softly, lifting himself onto his elbow, "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm," I manage in between contained coughs.

"Hey," he says, pushing himself up against the headboard, "sit up, it's gonna be easier for you to breathe." He slips his hand around my shoulders, holding onto my bicep with the other until I'm sitting up beside him. "Why didn't you tell me it had gotten worse again?" he asks quietly.

"Because," I say, letting out a short ragged breath, "it hasn't."

"Malon-" he begins, as if he's ready to argue with me.

"Link?" I interject, looking up at him and resting my hand on his stomach, "I'm fine... I just need something to keep my mind off it. Tell me something."

He sighs, wrapping his arms around me as I snuggle into his side, "Like what?"

"Tell me about your trip, about everything. Just keep talking until I fall asleep," I plead softly.

He breaths out through his nose, readjusting so that he's partially laying down. "Lay down then," he whispers and then drifts his fingertips over my eyelids. He adds softly, "close your eyes."

"They're closed," I whisper slowly, my lips curling up into a smile as his knuckle trails down my cheek.

"Alright... so when I got to Castle Town, there was this little girl... she was lost. Do you remember back when you were little? Back when we first met? You were lost without your dad," he murmurs, his fingers intertwining in my hair and stroking through the damp strands.

I nod lightly, hooking my fingers in the collar of his shirt.

"She said she was looking for her mom, that her mom left her and her dad a long time ago. She asked me if I'd seen her," he says.

"And...? What did you say?" I ask in a whisper.

"Hey," he says, with a breathy laugh, "you're supposed to be trying to sleep, not asking questions."

I smirk, my light laugh coming out as an empty cough. "Sorry," I say.

"Well, I told her that her dad was probably really worried about her, that she should go home and tell him that she's alright," he says, "and she was really upset at first. But I told her that I knew a girl that lost her mom too, and even though she misses her mom, her dad loves her enough for two people."

My smile fades slightly as I nestle my face closer to his shoulder. My dad was always trying to make up for my mom, and he always has and always will do a good job.

"I asked her if she loved her dad, and she said yes. I told her you don't need two people to love you. I told her you just need someone that loves you enough. And I told her that I didn't have someone that loved me enough for a long time... and how sad I was. I told her that she shouldn't give up on her dad, because sometimes those people are the only ones you have.

"She said that her dad was probably missing her, and she said that she was missing him. So she climbed back on her little horse, and she went home," he says, my consciousness beginning to slip away.

"I wished I was that little girl then, going back home. Everywhere I went I saw you. But that little girl reminded me of you the most," he whispers.

That's the last thing I remember him saying, my body finding a peace in his arms that allows me to drift into unconsciousness quietly, the ache in my lungs fading. He keeps talking just like I'd asked him to, but I don't recall what he said afterward.

But it doesn't matter, he kept talking.

* * *

><p>"<em>You're back."<em>

_ He smiles at me, though there's something guarded about it. Something's changed in him ever since the last time. Something about it makes me sad, his eyes not the same as they once were. _

_ "I told you I would be... right?" he asks, his voice sounding fatigued._

_ I nod, grinning at him to try and hide the despondency I feel as I watch him climb off of Epona's back, his movement exhausted. He holds onto Epona for a long time until I will myself to step towards him. He looks up at me and one corner of his lips twitch into a smile like he's forcing all of his energy upon it. He steps toward me but almost falls, his leg giving out._

_ I reach towards him, catching one of his arms before he can hit the ground. "Are you alright?" I ask anxiously._

_ "It's just my leg," he mutters, bent over as I spot a crimson stain across his calf. "I hurt it..."_

_ It looks terrible, and I hope there's more blood than actual injury. "Let's go inside, I'll dress it as soon as we sit you down," I assure him, assisting him through the door and over to the table._

_ He sits down with a grimace on his face, trying to hide the severity of the wound from me. Aside from the slash to his leg, he looks alright. His knuckles are scraped, a bruise on his chin starting to turn purple, a cut on his eyebrow. I'll have to tend to them later._

_ I take off his boot as he grips the chair, his fingernails turning white, and take a knife in my hand, having to cut apart the leg of his pant further to be able to roll them up. Navi appears from inside his hat when he lets out a small gasp as I peel the material away from the gash._

_ I give him an apologetic face, "Sorry."_

_ "Is it bad?" he asks through his teeth._

_ I glance down at it, studying the laceration for a moment before looking back at him with my lip in between my teeth. "What's your definition of bad?"_

_ He looks up at the ceiling, squeezing his eyes closed as his toes curl in pain._

_ "Hey," I say abruptly hoping to bring him somewhere away from the pain, "tell me something."_

_ He winces, his leg jolting under my touch as I press a white bandage to his leg. "Like what?"_

_ "Tell me about the temple, about the things you fought. Were there a lot of monsters?" I ask, trying to keep his mind on something else, keep him focused._

_ "Yeah," he mutters, "it was... terrifying."_

_ "What happened?" I ask, keeping one ear tuned into the conversation as I blot at the blood surrounding the wound to see it clearer._

_ "These creatures that lived there, Redeads, Gibdos, Floormasters, it was like they'd been existing down there, preying off the living for forever. There was just something not right about it... Do you think that they used to execute people there?" he asks me._

_ I take a pause from my work to glance up at him, "What makes you think they did?"_

_ He hesitates before answering, and I wonder if it's for my sake. "There were skeletons, chained to posts with dried blood on the ground. There were bones everywhere."_

_ I refocus my gaze to his leg as I smooth something that'll keep infections out over the gash, Link taking in a sharp breath as I do so. I should have been more gentle, it probably stings. "The books I've read," I say softly, not looking back up, "they say that Hyrule had a bloody history of greed and hatred... though, people don't like talking about those things anymore. People don't like to think that bad things happen sometimes."_

_ "But why would they hold it as such a sacred place, the sages I mean...?" he asks me, as if I have all the answers._

_ "Well maybe... maybe it was meant to be a place to house all the wickedness in the world. Maybe it's like a dream catcher, and it pulls all the bad out and leaves only the good," I theorize, winding bandages around his leg._

_ "Maybe," he whispers, mostly to himself, drifting somewhere far away for a few moments._

_ "You're done," I say soon after._

_ "What?" he asks, zoning back in as he retreats from his own reverie._

_ "Your leg, it's done," I say, feeling accomplished at not only my task of fixing him, but of taking his mind off it._

_ He tries to give me a smile but he can't disguise the pain he still feels well enough to convince me. "Thanks," he murmurs through gritted teeth as he tries to readjust himself._

_ "So what got you this time?" I ask him, standing up to get him something to eat._

_ "Stalfo, two of them actually," he says, "right before I had to get rid of that shadow beast that attacked Sheik and I in Kakariko."_

_ "And you still managed somehow with a gimped leg," I say, grinning to myself as I put the kettle on._

_ "I guess so," he murmurs._

_ I return to the table with some bread and cheese, cubes of summer melon on a plate. I set it down in front of him and despite the fact that he's been here time after time, he still eats timidly, though I know he's probably starving. "What did it look like?" I ask, taking a piece of bread for myself and spreading the cheese on it to encourage him. _

_ "It wasn't like anything I'd seen before," he begins, pulling small pieces of the crust off and putting them in his mouth, "it's how I imagine a demon would look... its hands weren't attached to its body, its eye was bright red."_

_ "But you destroyed it," I say._

_ He nods, taking a piece of the fruit I know is his favorite into his mouth._

_ "You're so brave," I say quietly, "I would probably cower at the sight."_

_ He shakes his head, the drops of liquid sky in his eyes only meeting mine for a fleeting second. "I don't think so."_

_ I look down, feeling my heart race slightly. "Y-you must be exhausted," I stutter, playing with a thread that has frayed in my skirt._

_ "I'm a little tired," he admits quietly._

_ "I'll finish making the tea, you can head up and rest and I'll bring yours up when I'm done," I say, the whistle of the kettle disrupting our conversation._

_ He nods, pushing himself up with his hands on the table, before he limps away and up the stairs. I let out a breath as he closes the door, spinning around the the counter as I close my eyes and try to get a grip on myself. It's just Link, we've been friends for forever. The fact that we have feelings for one another doesn't really change that... does it?_

_ I pour his tea and take it up the stairs, walking carefully to avoid spilling on myself. I knock once softly and push open the door, just to make sure that he's decent. _

_ He's laying on his stomach, his hat having fallen to the floor, his boots kicked off. His eyes are already closed, his mouth open slightly as he breathes deeply. I know that he's had a long few days, but it still surprises me how fast he can fall asleep. I wander over to him, setting his tea down on the bedside table and brush his bangs out of his eyes with my fingers, his eyelids twitching slightly as I do so. I lean down and hesitantly press my lips to his warm cheek, hoping he actually is submerged in unconsciousness._

_ "Don't wake up too soon," I whisper to him despite the fact that he can't hear me._

_ When he wakes up it won't be long before he has to leave. _

_ I don't want him to leave._

* * *

><p>"<em>You have to go soon, don't you?" I ask him as we sit out in the corral, the thick grass tickling at my ankles.<em>

_ "I can't put it off forever," he says gently, looking off into the distance, his eyes following a bug in its scattered dance._

_ "But you'll come back?" I ask._

_ He nods, "I like it here."_

_ I'm finding it hard to breathe almost, I just want to touch his sleeve, hold onto it and don't let it go. I don't want him to stand up and leave. I feel this awful feeling at the base of my throat when I think about him leaving, when I think about not seeing him. If he likes it here, why must he go?_

_ "Malon?"_

_ I turn to face him, feeling tears in my eyes._

_ "I don't like it when you cry," he says, his eyes straying from mine like he's uncomfortable to say it to me._

_ I swallow, his confession making it all the more difficult to keep the tears inside my eyes. I look up at him, something clenching my heart in a tight grasp. "Will you hold me?" I plead softly in fear of my voice breaking._

_ He nods, reaching out and folding me into his arms, his hand holding my face against his chest. _

_ "How long?" I ask after a long while, after we've migrated into laying down in the grass. I push myself back up, looking down at him as he pulls his hands behind his head, his face taking on that peaceful expression he wears while he sleeps._

_ "Three days, four at most," he replies solemnly. _

_ My heart sinks. For a moment I think of ways to keep him here, what I could do to make him stay. If I got sick again, maybe he'd be too worried to leave._

_ I can't do that to him though, so I force myself to let him go. "Longer than usual," I murmur._

* * *

><p>I blink a few times, the morning light illuminating our bedroom. I feel groggy from last night, but the weight that's been on me for the past few mornings has lifted.<p>

Link is pulling his shirt over his head, his eyes finding mine as his head pokes through the collar. He smiles, the scar in his cheekbone deepening like a dimple. "Hey, pretty girl," he says softly, walking towards me and kneeling down.

A croaky laugh escapes my lips for some reason, just him being here I guess. "Hi," I say.

"How did you sleep last night?... After you woke up, that is," he asks, taking my hand in both of his and kissing my knuckles.

"Good," I say softly, "I sleep better when you're here."

"Malon, I'm so sorry," he whispers against my skin, agony in his eyes.

I shake my head, my forehead crumpling in confusion. "I'm alright."

He nods, like he doesn't want to believe me. "Okay... I'm going to go out and help your dad and Ingo around, and I'll come back in here later, alright?"

"Do you want me to come?" I ask.

He bites his lip before returning his troubled gaze to mine. "I want you to rest, so you can get healthy again. Okay?"

I slip my fingers up around his neck, pulling him down closer to me, "It's not that bad."

"Malon," he begins, agitation in his voice, "if you get really sick, then you'll have to go to the hospital, and I won't get to see you, and I can't... I can't... if I can't see you, everything changes. So please, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me." He's struggling so hard for words, I can feel the pulse in his neck thrumming steadily.

I swallow, clearing my throat so it'll sound stronger when I speak again. "I thought you were the one that had to tell me not to worry."

"It's impossible for me not to worry about you... I don't want anything bad to happen to you," he says.

"Bad things _have_ happened-" I start, reaching up with my hand to touch his cheek.

"I know," he says, reclaiming my hand in his. "I love you too much for that to happen again."

I cough, turning my face away from him and covering my mouth. He takes the glass of water that has been left on our bedside table and hands it to me, propping me up enough to take a sip. "This is my fault," he says, his eyes tormented. "I shouldn't have left you here, it was too soon."

I shake my head, my fingers drifting down to his collar. I carefully tug on it, saying the words, "Come here," gently.

I pull him back onto our bed, my fingers losing themselves in his hair. He lays his face against my chest, listening to my heart like he's done so many times. I lose myself in the comfortable weight of his body against mine, my eyes seeing memories rather than the ceiling. I stroke his hair gently, tears creeping up in my eyes.

"Tell me stories," I whisper, my lips quivering.

"What kind of stories?" he asks so gently it's as if he's sleeping.

"Tell me... tell me about all of your scars," I ask softly, my hands keeping up their constant pattern.

"Where to start?" he asks me, his voice weak.

"The first one," I whisper.

"Why do those ones matter? They happened back when we were children," he says.

I wait for him to go on, but I know he wants a real answer. I press my lips to his hair, feeling the soft tousled locks give under the light pressure. "I loved you from the start," I say quietly, "in every single way."

* * *

><p>"Keep them closed," he says lightly, the smile showing through his voice.<p>

"They're closed," I say, holding my hands out in front of me as I sit cross-legged on our bed, the sun gone to sleep.

His hand slides over my eyes, ensuring that they're closed, I wait with a wide smile on my face in anticipation. Something drops gently into my hands then, something smooth and then something cool to the touch. His hand backs away, my eyes opening to find the pendant sitting in my palm, the chain making a small pile in my hands.

"You brought it back," I say, grinning up at him, "safe and sound."

He rolls his eyes. "Why must you always doubt me?" he asks sarcastically.

I cock my head to the side, giving him an unimpressed look.

"Oh," he says quickly, his eyes lighting up as if he's just remembered something, "I have something else for you. I brought it back from the town."

My brow furrows, my eyes growing wide. "Link, you don't have to bring things back for me, my father doesn't pay you enough to-"

By the time I'm about to protest further, he's already reached into his pack and pulled out a stone the size of my fingerprint encircled in silver and attached to a thin chain. I gape at it, my mouth open. He waits in silence for a moment, trying to gauge my reaction, but instead gives up and tries to explain. "It's a moonstone, it wasn't very expensive... but I thought... we could hang it in the window. Something so we can remember... if you want."

My chin starts to tremble, the image of the moonstone sitting in his palm becoming blurry. His fingers quickly curl up, hiding the glimmering blue-hued stone from my sight.

"We don't have to if it upsets you-" he begins.

I cut him off as I hug him tight against me. "It's perfect," I say, blinking as the tears stream down my face, catching themselves in the thin cotton of his shirt though my lips turn up into a smile. I had intended to ask him more about his trip tonight, ask him what he did, who he saw... most importantly, what the Princess wanted from him. We've had such little time since he's been home, between my being sick and his work.

But I'm afraid of ruining this moment now. The questions can wait.

He hangs the stone in the window on its chain, the light of the stars sparkling off of its smooth surface. I watch it as we lay in bed, his arm wrapped around my waist as I curl into him, my back against his chest. It's like the teardrop of an angel.

Which is sort of perfect.


	6. The Parting Glass

**Hey guys. Want to hear an awesome story? My hair is sort of red right now, not naturally, you lucky natural gingers, but anyways. I was at cheer practice, and this big important cheer dude came to watch my club, and when we did our dance he said to me, and I quote, "You're working it, Red." I WAS CALLED RED, JUST LIKE MALON. Best moment of my life most likely.**

**Alrighty, so in this chapter you will see/read Malon singing for the first time really. I spent hours and hours trying to find someone with a voice that matched hers and a song that she could sing. And finally, after sorting through everything modern, old, a cappella... well EVERYTHING, I searched "Irish folk songs" into youtube, because I wanted the song to be believable for the time period, and I love the Irish, and I found a real gem. That's why this week's chapter is called...**

**The Parting Glass, and the version I'm basing it off of is sung by Cara Dillon. This is the song Malon sings for Link in the PRESENT, not the flashback. It's so pretty. Check it out please so you can hear my interpretation of the mood of that scene and also of Malon's voice.**

**Yay, so anyway. I probably won't update for a while with Christmas and everything, but just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!**

* * *

><p>I used to love this tree, I used to climb its branches and sit and watch the horses run.<p>

I don't like to look at it now. It reminds me of a time that hurt me real badly. It hurt Link bad too.

I know he puts on a face for me, this face that can't get hurt and doesn't cry. It's this face that doesn't want anyone to see the sadness in fear that someone will lose hope because of it. He wore it a lot when this tree turned into an old gnarled hand. I see him take it off though, sometimes when I wake up and he's sitting up in our bed, looking off. Then I see the ache in his eyes.

Sometimes I don't let him know that I've woken. I keep my breathing quiet, I don't rustle the sheets. It makes me feel normal that he feels sad too.

My demons sulk in the shadow of this tree every day, they don't find time to leave me be.

The cry of my past startled me from sleep, and finding Link still lost in its confines, I tip-toed away from him to grant him some silence. I'm tired of waking him because I know he hurts too and needs some peace.

The sun is still hidden, though it's beginning to expose the silhouettes of trees and mountains sheathed by darkness. I love the sun, I love everything about it.

I hear the door of the house open and close then, though I pay it little attention, expecting Ingo, already up to start the day. But as quiet footsteps draw nearer to me, I turn to find Link, a question on his face.

"I didn't know where you were," he murmurs when he comes close enough to me.

"I didn't want to wake you," I explain softly.

He continues on to stand beside me, following my gaze toward the tree by the house, some of its leaves turning gold and falling as the wind ruffles them. His fingers find mine, entwining with them. I look down at the ground, the feel of his hands releasing the rigid tension that froze me there for so long. I turn into him, finding my safe haven as his arms encircle me, my hands cradled against my chest.

"D'you want to go?" he asks gently into my ear.

"Yeah," I say breathlessly against his shoulder, relief in my voice.

He lets go of me, slipping his hands back down into mine and leading me away from the old, twisted tree, its shadows stretching after me though I'm pulled just out of reach by Link. I follow him out to the barn where Epona is tied up, watching as he leads her over to where I stand. He climbs on first, holding his hand out to me and pulling me up behind him.

I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head against the hollow between his shoulder blades. I don't know where we're going, but it doesn't matter, anywhere far, far away from here will be enough. For a moment I can understand why Link wants to leave so often, why he woke up today to draw himself away from the ranch.

But I feel a sort of pain the further away it becomes as the sun blooms from behind the horizon, a similar pain I know Link soothes with his long rides away.

I like the feel of the wind on my face, the sky taking a deep breath as it awakens, the navy sky in the west being chased by light blue. The blue in between the pale morning and the deep night is my favorite color, maybe because it's so rare to me.

We ride for a long time, my eyes registering the things that flash by, like trees and shrubs and stones, and the things that seem to go on for miles, like landscapes, mountains, clouds. He doesn't let Epona slow down long enough to take note of much, he rides hard like he knows where he's trying to get to.

When we finally stop, the air smells different, fresher, like there are water droplets in the air around us. And then the white noise of water rippling echoes into my ears, and I glance down the small hill he's parked us at the top of, a stretch of water before us mirroring the clear morning sky. I've never been here before. Lake Hylia, Link has told me much about it, but it's far more beautiful than I pictured when he spoke of it.

He climbs off of Epona's back and then reaches up to my waist as I settle my hands on his shoulders when he eases me down. We walk a short distance down to the water line, the grass soft under my feet, bare of any shoe. He sits down, pulling off his boots and rolling up his pants and wanders slowly into the water until it reaches his shins. Then he just stands still, his hair fluttering in the light breeze, the last of the summer warmth lingering for us.

I pick up my skirt in my hands, following him to stand in the water, colder than it seems against my skin, warm for once.

"I remember when this lake was dry," he says softly.

I close my eyes, feeling the silky water lapping against my legs.

"The birds didn't come here, neither did the butterflies," he continues in the same soft voice. "I just remember wishing I'd brought you here before..."

I open my eyes again, mesmerized by the softly rippling water.

"And when things turned back to the way they were, I thought they'd stay that way. But they never stay the same, do they?" he asks gently.

I look towards him, shaking my head, "They're not supposed to stay the same. If things just stayed the same way, we'd both just be children still."

He steps towards me, his eyes flashing over every inch of my face, "Maybe things would be better that way."

"Maybe, but we're not children now. I don't feel like a child anymore," I murmur. "I don't remember what feeling like a child was like."

"Do you wish we could go back?" he asks, reaching his palm up to my cheek.

"Sometimes," I admit.

"Back to having no worries?" he asks.

I nod.

"Back to being silly, being stupid children?" he asks, his eyes narrowing slight as he studies me.

I nod again, my lips parting slightly as he draws closer to me.

"Malon," he says, his mouth turning into a smile, my heart adoring the sight of it, "you don't have to be a child to act stupid."

"Link," I chide though I cannot restrain my lips from turning up, "you better not be thinking of pushing me in the water."

He shakes his head, "Of course not," he says as he takes my hand in his and leans into a run, pulling me with him along the shoreline, kicking up water that hangs in the air like glass beads before shattering back into the surface. A flock of gulls that had been wading in the shallow water becomes startled by our quick approach, flapping their wings and taking to the sky again.

The hem of my dress is drenched in water, the splashing as my foot renters the water with every step causing the rest of my clothing to become damp. I can't make my lips relax though, I can't help but smile as he laughs, running faster than I can though I try desperately to keep up, one hand in his, the other holding up my skirt so I don't trip.

I forget right now about things that happened. All that is in my mind is keeping up with him.

As we reach the edge of the shoreline before it curves past a cliff, he leads us out onto the land, collapsing to his knees with breathless laughs, towing me down with him. I don't think about the tree at the ranch, I don't think about the demons waiting in the shadows, I lay down on the soft grass, and gaze up the sky, and think of nothing but the light in my heart. He lays down beside me, leaning on his elbow as he leans his face over mine, his eyes reminding me of the lake reflecting the sky.

"I miss your laugh," he says, his voice just above a whisper.

I reach up around his neck and gently pull his face down to mine, meeting his lips delicately. I don't want him to see the pained expression I wear as guilt tears at the thin tissue of happiness that is blockading the ache. He rolls his body on top of mine, holding himself up on his forearms as he moves his lips from my mouth, down my jaw, to the hollow below my ear.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, my heart breaking so suddenly, it's like the smile I wore only moments ago had never been.

He pulls his face away from my skin, looking into my eyes with concern, he's confused at my words.

"I'm not like I used to be," I say, tears reaching my eyes.

He shakes his head, "Don't."

"I'm sorry," I repeat, my voice breaking slightly.

"Can you do something for me?" he asks, his weight shifting off of me and to my side, propping himself back up on his elbow.

"What?" I ask, my voice hollow.

"Will you sing for me?" he asks hesitantly, "I haven't heard you sing since it happened. I know it's hard for you."

I swallow, wanting to prove to him that I'm better, and wanting to lift him back up, build up the wall in front of the bad memories again. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Anything," he says, shaking his head slowly, "I just want to hear your voice."

I pause before sitting up and laying his head in my lap, "I don't know if I can do this," I tell him as my fingers toy nervously with his earring, anxiety quivering in my throat.

He reaches up and touches my chin with his fingertips, "I know you can."

I take a deep breath, gazing off across the water as my hands find his damp hair. Maybe Mama's song... or maybe one I sang after Ganondorf was defeated at the party. Something to alter the atmosphere, to burn away the clouds.

And then a familiar tune starts humming through my mind, one I haven't heard in a long, long time.

I remember my father singing it to me when I was very small, only once, the night my mother died. I have never heard a note from his mouth since, but I still remember listening intently to his voice as he sang the melancholic melody, I remember singing it before bedtime like a prayer after that night.

So I open my mouth, a tear falling from my chin as I the words come out, not suppressing the memories, but making me vulnerable to them. But it's like they're cleaning me, all the bad being drawn out instead of concealed. Their traces are still inside of me, but I remember the calm I felt as Dad sung it to me. I feel the same now. My voice quivers, shaking on unsure and unpracticed legs, but I sing.

I sing the whole song.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm going to miss your voice," he murmurs quietly as we sit across from each other on my bed.<em>

_ "You won't have to miss it for long, right?" I ask, my stomach churning in anxiety._

_ He looks down, shakes his head once and then looks back up at me. "No."_

_ I don't want to broach the subject, I don't want to ask him if he's going to be okay, but I know he's hurting. I'm scared that he's not going to be well enough to defeat whatever it was that was hiding within Kakariko. I worry for his safety._

_ He really doesn't like it when I worry, it agitates him, I can see it when I ask if he's going to be alright, his eyebrow quirks. "Hey," I say, trying to capture his attention again, reaching out and touching his sleeve. "I'll sing a song for you every night before I go to bed, okay?"_

_ "Okay," he says gently._

_ I urge myself to smile. "Cheer up," I tell him._

_ "Malon..." he says, taking a pause before he continues, "I don't like being away from you... you think you're the only one that worries when we're apart, you don't know."_

_ "Then tell me, you're always so quiet," I say._

_ He sighs, pulling himself up onto his knees and readjusting to sit beside me with our backs against the headboard. He leans down and kisses my cheek quickly, just a little peck, but it leaves a tingling spot on my face. I look up at him, my cheeks feeling warm as I scrunch my nose at him, and he quickly pecks the tip of my nose too. "I don't like to talk," he whispers._

_ "I know," I say gently, his warm breath on my face._

_ He's already so close, my eyes close involuntarily as his lips touch mine. He pulls back almost as quick, we're still becoming comfortable with this._

_ "The sooner I go... the sooner I'll be back," he says._

_ "Then go now," I say. "And come back soon."_

_ He twists his upper body, folding me into his arms for a moment. Then he gets up, strapping his weapons and shield back on as I watch him from the bed, crossing my legs with my hands in my lap. He looks at me, the blue in his eyes turbulent like I haven't seen before. He walks closer to the bed, resting his palms on the mattress and pressing his lips to mine again, though this time is softer, prolonged. _

_ I don't want him to let go._

_ But then he does, and he heads out the door but I don't follow him. I watch from my window as he rides off. _

_ That night I sing the lullaby my mother used to sing to me. I know he can't hear it._

_ I hear it, I find comfort in it, I hope somehow he does too._

_ I don't worry that night as I'm falling asleep, the song replays in my head, over and over again, and I imagine his face laying in my lap, his eyes closed and the bruises on his skin fading, and I sing quietly even though he's asleep, even though he can't hear._

_ I wake the next morning well rested despite the fluttering that won't leave my stomach. Worrying about him is inevitable, but I hadn't woken in the night in a sweat, awful dreams halting my sleep._

_ The fluttering only changes with a familiar clopping of hooves, a flash of green turning the corner. That's when a different anxiety enters my system as my eyes run over him, making sure he's come back to me alright. Everything is still in tact, despite the regular cuts and bruises._

_ I smile in relief, leaning against the barn door. I'd abandoned my chores as soon as the sound of Epona's hooves on the ground made its way into my ears._

_ "You're back," I murmur just loud enough for him to hear, restraining myself from running towards him and crushing his battered body against mine._

_ He smiles, he looks relieved, but there's something else, minute pain that he's trying to suppress. I wonder if he heard me sing. "I told you I would be... right?"_

* * *

><p>"I've never heard it before," he whispers after the last word trickles off my lips.<p>

"It's old," I say softly, tears filling my eyes as I look down into his face and trace all the lines and features with my fingertips. "My Daddy sang it to me when my Mama died."

"I didn't know your dad sang," he says.

"He and Mama used to sing to me at night, but he doesn't sing now. He didn't sing after she died," I explain.

His eyes stray from mine, thoughtfully narrowing. "Thank you," he murmurs.

"For what?" I ask.

"Singing... for me. It's hard... isn't it?" he asks me.

"It didn't used to be. When I was younger, even when Ganondorf... I could still sing, I could sing and it would make myself believe things were okay. It's been... harder to convince myself."

"You could convince anyone the sun was shining even if it was pouring rain," he says gently, a smile playing at his lips. "Are you a bird?" he asks.

"What?" I ask, confused. I can't help but smirk at his question.

"Are you a bird?" he reiterates.

I look off, opening my mouth as I try to find a way to answer him. "Do – do you think I'm a bird?"

"Yes," he says, trailing his fingers along my cheek.

I smile at the honesty in his voice. "If I'm a bird, are you a bird too?"

He smiles back and nods, "We're both just birds that forgot how to fly."

* * *

><p><em>Dad sits on the bench beside me, smiling encouragingly at me as he rests his fingers on the keys.<em>

_ I glance up at Link, leaning against the wall the piano is up against as he watches me with arms loosely crossed over his chest. He smiles, waiting for me to go on. I'm happy that he's smiling again, it stirs confidence within me._

_ My dad's hands start moving then, a soft melody coming from the inside of the piano. I remember marveling at all the strings as a little girl, standing on the bench and peering into the top of the piano, watching the little hammers move in accordance with my mother's fingers. I've never heard something as beautiful as my mother playing. There was just a way she would glide her graceful hands along the numerous keys and hit them just hard enough to produce a delicate sound. It is one of the few things I remember about her._

_ I start singing when my part comes in, glancing off to Link as he watches me. I'm nervous I'm going to disappoint him, but he smiles, his eyes sparkling as I continue. He's heard me sing so many times, but this is the first time he will watch me with these eyes. This is the song I'll leave with him before he goes. It has to be perfect. I look back at the crinkled and fading sheets of music that my dad doesn't even need to look at, but I follow the complicated script as my voice arches over the high notes, swooping over the low ones._

_ I clear my throat as the song finishes, Dad gently bringing the music to a close. Link is watching me with pure adoration, my heart stutters in return._

_ "That was really pretty, Mal," he murmurs._

_ I tuck my hair behind me ear, something I do when I'm embarrassed. "Thank you," I mumble. I look back at my dad and he's grinning affectionately down at me, "We're going to get him ready to leave," I inform him softly._

_ "Alright," Dad says, standing up and straightening his shirt. He walks behind the piano bench and over to Link, shaking his hand. "Good luck out there, Link."_

_ "Thank you, Sir," Link says, "and thank you for letting me stay here, I can't express to you how greatly it's appreciated."_

_ "Well, I expect you to come back, I'll be offended if you don't," he says, his eyes crinkling, his smile hidden behind is mustache._

_ Link grins at him, "I'll be back as soon as I can then."_

_ He clutches Link's arm in his other hand, and then gives him a pat on the shoulder before going back outside, giving us our time to say our goodbyes. He holds my hand as we climb the stairs. I like the way his fingers feel laced in mine._

_ I wait for him to pick up his things as I close the door to my room, but instead he sits on my bed. I join him, sitting against the headboard as he sits with his legs crossed looking at me. He watches my face for a moment, smiling and looking down at his hands, fiddling with a string on my blanket. "It's so quiet... being alone," he murmurs._

_ Navi flits out from his hat, obviously offended though she doesn't say anything._

_ "I'm going to miss your voice," he says, meeting my eyes. His are different now._

_ I don't say so, but I'm going to miss his eyes, miss the way they look when he tells me secrets._

* * *

><p>It's not quite noon by the time the arch over the entrance to Lon Lon appears in front of us. My face is warm, my eyes closed as the little sleep takes over me. A happy flicker of light remains in my chest as I hold Link around his waist, being rocked gently by Epona's slower strides beneath me. Link had been in such a hurry to leave, but not near the hurry to get back.<p>

Ingo is waiting for us with a disgruntled expression furrowing his brow. I look up over Link's shoulder at him, preparing myself for his scolding.

"Where have you been?" he asks, wanting to find fault in Link again. Even after Ingo was better, after Ganondorf stopped threatening him, he's been a harsh person.

Seemingly out of nowhere, my father walks up behind him, clapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Hi there Link, hey Mal, glad to see you home so soon."

"'Home... so soon'?" Ingo asks, "Where, may I ask, were they?"

Dad gives Ingo a look of shear confusion but then slaps his hand to his forehead, "Oh! Do forgive me Ingo, I thought I'd told you, but it was the day you were delivering to Kakariko while Link was in town and I completely forgot to let you know once you got back."

"Just tell me where they were," Ingo demands, his grumpy demeanor not letting up for his friend.

"I asked Link and Malon to make an early delivery this mornin', I didn't expect them to be back so soon," he informs not only Ingo, but Link and myself as well. He's covering for us, he never asked either of us to make a delivery.

"To whom at such an early hour?" Ingo asks.

"Oh, the postman that's all, his work starts at the crack of dawn so they had to be off before either of us woke up," he says with a wide grin.

"Hmm," Ingo mutters, "I wasn't aware we delivered to him."

"Just recently," Dad says, exchanging a look with me and clapping his hand on Ingo's shoulder before heading off again in the opposite direction.

Ingo watches as Link dismounts Epona and helps me down, his arms crossed tightly. Link takes my hand in one of his, holding Epona's reigns over his shoulder with the other. My heart starts beating a little faster as we pass Ingo, something from when I was a little girl and his presence alone would terrify me.

I jump slightly when he speaks, keeping his back turned to us. "I do find it odd, however, that you made a delivery without wearing your shoes... Miss Malon," he says, finally looking over his shoulder at us before heading inside the house.

"That man will never forgive anything if it forfeits having to work," Link whispers jokingly in my ear.

"No, he never has," I say, my mouth still slightly dry from the anxiety.

Link's grip on my hand tightens as he directs me towards the barn. "Come here," he says softly. He opens the door and closes it tight behind us. "Can I talk to you?" he asks me.

"Sure," I say, narrowing my eyes as a look of hesitancy passes over his face, the rigid set to his limbs completely recent. "What's this about?"

"The trip I took to Castle Town, what Zelda wanted from me... I've been avoiding having to talk to you about it..." he mutters.

A cold knife prods at my heart. "Link, you're scaring me" I let him know, fear making my eyes grow wide, "what is it?"

He takes a deep breath, "You don't need to be afraid... I just... I have to tell you something."


	7. That Home

**Hey guys. Here is my Christmas/New Years/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Winter Solstice gift to you. I'm truly sorry that it is so extensive. I like to make things compact but filled with good stuff and not just filler, but this chapter just seemed to go on and on, particularly the last flashback, for that I am sorry. Uhhh I'm trying to think if I have anything else to say... Oh, how about, as your Christmas/New Years/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Winter Solstice gift to me, you guys review :D Yeah, let's aim for five. You guys are pretty solid, so I'm pretty sure you can do it.**

**Oh, this chapter is named after That Home by The Cinematic Orchestra. Which is an epic song to say the least, one that I find flawless.**

**Also, thanks to you guys who listened to the song from the last chapter :) I'm glad you guys liked it.**

**Hoenn Master: I'm pretty sure you're the only one I have yet to reply to. You confuse me, I'm trying to understand your motive behind reading since it appears you haven't found this story all that enjoyable. Please understand I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just a confused little girl. :\**

* * *

><p>"<em>Not fooling around again, were we, Miss Malon?" Ingo asks me, frowning at Link and I as we round the corner, our hands intertwined, our cheeks red with smiles on our faces.<em>

_ My heart stutters in shock at his sudden presence, my hand ripping itself from Link's light grasp. "N-no. I was just about to get back to work," I assure him, my face growing hot._

_ Link bows his head, trying to deflect Ingo's disappointment. "I'm going to head inside to rest," he says quietly. "I'll try to be back out as soon as I can to help you."_

_ "No," I say softly to him, "don't worry about it, I'll be okay."_

_ "Whatever is going to get the work done faster," Ingo mutters, though his rage has subsided considerably. Even he's not willing to speak unreasonably to the boy that is putting his life at risk to save us all. _

_ "See you," Link says for only my ears._

_ I smile at him meekly and then nod at Ingo, taking quick strides into the barn_

_ I lean my back against the door, my breathing still uneven though I absolutely love the exhilarated feeling that causes my heart to pound. I slip my hand into the pocket of my apron where Link's hand had smoothly tucked something and find a folded piece of paper. I narrow my eyes, opening the letter to find few simple words written in his unpracticed scrawl:_

**_Mal, don't forget about the rock beneath the floorboards._**

**_I won't tell if you don't. _**

**_Link_**

_Tears touch my eyes, a smile on my lips. This is what I needed, and it gives me faith in him, and us._

_ My work is done by muscle memory, my mind somewhere else completely. I've never felt so happy, I've never felt like this. _

_ When dinner is ready, we sit round the table, Ingo and Dad with their heads down, thoroughly engrossed in their food. I can't help but peek up at Link, I catch him doing the same a few times, something that goes unnoticed by the other two men. I know I'm blushing, I just hope that the conversation, or lack thereof, doesn't decide to shift attention towards me._

_ "Thanks for dinner," Ingo says once his bowl is empty in his usual gruff manner. _

_ I nod at him, having prepared the stew early this morning though the rest of the work had been done over a low fire and with time. He stands up with my approval and heads outside, he's rarely in the mood for anything following dinner except sleep._

_ "Well," Link begins hesitantly as he sets down his spoon, "I think I should leave... tonight. I'll stay over in Kakariko, and then begin early tomorrow."_

_ My heart falls into my stomach, my eyes quickly avert his._

_ "I suppose that's probably a good idea," Dad grumbles._

_ I remain silent, he knows how I feel about this already._

_ "However," Dad continues, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms, "I don't think you should go before you've heard Malon sing."_

_ My eyes dart up to meet Dad's. _

_ Link glances at me, sensing my apprehension perhaps, "Oh... I've heard Malon sing many times."_

_ Dad waves his hand in front of his face and puts on a disgruntled expression. "You've heard her singing that same little song her mother sang, but you haven't heard her actually sing. Besides, this is what we used to do back when she was a little girl after dinner... before I, uh..." he trails off._

_ "Alright," I say abruptly, interrupting the awkward silence. I stand up from the table, "I'll do it."_

_ Dad claps his hands together once and lets out a jubilant laugh, "Perfect! I'll play, Mal."_

_ I turn from my seat as the other two rise, letting out a deep breath to try and calm myself. I meander over to the old piano, the one Mama's father bought for her when she was fourteen, and sit down, waiting for Dad to join me._

_ He sits down, letting out a heavy breath as the wood squeaks beneath us. He lays his fingers on the keys and gives me a reassuring smile._

_ I turn my attention to Link, really able to look at him for the first time. I won't say it out loud, but I love him so._

_ He smiles at me and I wonder if he feels something to the same extent that I do. It doesn't matter for now, he's smiling, I'm happy that he's smiling again._

* * *

><p>"What is it then?" I ask, my voice quivering.<p>

"Zelda..." he murmurs her name, glancing down at our toes between us, taking a strand of my hair in his fingers, "she wants me to be... an... an ambassador of Hyrule."

He looks back up at me, trying to read my expression, but I just wait for him to go on, wait for what this means.

He takes my hesitancy and continues, "She wants me to... accompany her in her travels to the neighboring countries... I don't know, speak to people about the things I went through, teach people."

I swallow. "Th-that's... that's wonderful," I say, smiling up at him.

He looks taken aback, his eyes narrowing at my response. "What?" he simply asks me.

I look down, curling my fingers around his biceps, pulling him in closer to me. He holds onto my waist loosely, waiting in confusion. "This is a great opportunity for you," I murmur.

"Well, y-yes, but-"

"No, this is good," I say, really trying to look happy as I touch my fingers to his lips.

"Malon," he says, agitated as he moves my hand away from his mouth, "I'm going to have to be away for... for months."

I nod, "I think you should go." An exasperated short sigh comes from his mouth, like he's about to protest, but I continue before he has the chance. "It'll give you a chance to get away from here, to keep your mind on something else. This is what you need."

"Malon, I don't want to leave," he mutters urgently.

I pull his shoulders in, embracing him. "I know that you do."

"I... I don't want to leave you," he says, adjusting his words.

"I know," I murmur into his shoulder.

"Will you come with me?" he asks, his voice weak.

I pause, wishing I could say yes. "Maybe... maybe I'll come into Castle Town with you before you two leave. You can show me all your favorite places."

"But you won't stay?" he asks hopelessly.

I swallow back the stinging lump in my throat. He knows the answer to that question.

He cradles the back of my head against his shoulder with his hand, unwilling to let go of me as he scoops me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. "Don't leave me alone, please?" he begs into the crook of my neck.

"You won't be alone," I reply just as softly, burying my lips in his hair, looking up at the ceiling to try and keep the the tears in my eyes from spilling. "Now... go inside, and write the Princess telling her that you'll do it."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks, his voice breaking.

"No," I say, an agonized expression tormenting my features, "no, Link. If I could have things my way I would have you here and everything that broke us wouldn't have happened. If I could have things the way I wanted Ganondorf would have never hurt you. If fate let me have my way I'd be able to make things better... but I think _this_ will make things better. If you have something meaningful..."

"How is being here not meaningful?" he asks desperately.

"Link," I say with a pleading voice, closing my eyes and letting the tears fall, "please just do this for me."

"I can't leave you here while you're sick," he says, and I can hear a sob building in his chest too.

"You're not. I'll have my Dad, I'll have Ingo, and I'm going to be fine," I assure him.

"But how am I going to be away from home for so long?" he asks me.

"This home will always be waiting for you when you get back," I tell him gently, stroking the back of his hair.

"And will you?"

I kiss his temple, my lips lingering there. I do something awful, something unforgivable.

"Yes," I reply softly.

I lie.

* * *

><p>"<em>Who are you writing?" <em>

_ He glances down at me as he writes on a piece of paper, using his knee as the surface to keep his writing steady. I lay in the grass with one hand on my stomach, my other shielding my eyes from the sun as I watch his face become puzzled, trying to decide which words to use._

_ "Zelda," he murmurs down to me._

_ "I thought you said you hadn't heard from her," I say._

_ "Well, I haven't," he says, taking a break from his scribbling, "but if I manage to meet up with Sheik again, I'll ask him to pass on the message."_

_ "Do you think he actually sees her?" I ask, becoming somewhat nervous for the information that he could pass on. Does he tell her about Link and I?_

_ "I don't know," he says, looking off vaguely, "he said that she was safe... that's all I have right now, so it's all I know to trust."_

_ I close my eyes again, folding my hands loosely over my stomach. "What are you writing to her about?"_

_ I can hear the scratch of the quill against the paper as he returns to his letter. "Just letting her know that I've passed the Water Temple... telling her that Sheik and I were attacked in Kakariko, so that's where I'm heading next," he informs me._

_ "Always running towards danger instead of away from it, Link, you're an anomaly," I joke._

_ "I've never been given the chance to run," he says quietly, "there was never any time."_

_ "I don't think you ever would though, even if you could," I tell him._

_ He doesn't respond, his fingers folding the letter up into a small compact square, his eyes lost in thought._

_ "Hey," I say, laying my forearm over my forehead to block the sun and reaching up to pull on his sleeve, "write me something. Something I can read after you leave."_

_ He grins at me, "Like what?"_

_ "I don't know," I say with a smile, "just something."_

_ He bites his lip, pondering his words for a few moments before scratching something quick down on the paper and folding it up. He stands up then, holding out his hands for me to join him. I place my hands in his, letting him pull me up as he slings his arms around my waist, pulling me into a loose hug and slipping the piece of paper into my apron. "Don't read it yet," he murmurs._

_ "I can be patient," I tease as I look back up at him, though my hand wants nothing more than to draw the paper from its hiding place and read its contents._

_ "Good," he says with a soft smile tugging on his lips. "I'm going to head inside so I can get some rest before I leave again, is that alright?"_

_ "No," I say with a serious expression, shaking my head, "you're not allowed to sleep if you're going to be saving the world, mister."_

_ "Can nothing be done to change your mind?" he pleads, playing along with my act._

_ "Hmm," I murmur, tapping my chin with my index finger. "Ah, I might have something."_

_ "What is it then?" he asks._

_ I turn my cheek to him, tapping it twice with the same finger. He smirks at me as I wait expectantly, moments later his lips pressing to the spot I'd directed him to._

_ I look back up at him, my cheeks turning pink. "That'll do," I say gently._

_ He grins, slipping one his hands back down into mine and leading me towards the house, my face warm, my heart pumping a little harder. The smile I know both he and I are trying to suppress is immediately wiped clean though as we round the corner, Ingo waiting for us with crossed arms. "Not fooling around again, were we, Miss Malon?"_

_ I wonder what his definition of fooling around entitles._

* * *

><p>"Sweetheart, are you coming to bed?" Link asks quietly as I watch out the window, the moonstone glittering in the corner of my eye.<p>

"Yeah," I say, turning to him with a smile in my eyes, walking over to kneel on the bed and crawl over to where he sits against the headboard. I stop with my hands on either side of his waist, my knees on either side of his, craning my neck up towards him to press my lips to his.

He cups my face in his hands as I walk my knees closer, settling my hips against his.

"I'm going to miss you, pretty girl," he murmurs against my lips, "so much."

"Hey... hey," I say a little more aggressively the second time, pushing him back a touch, "I'm going to be here, and we'll write so we won't seem so far apart, right?"

He shakes his head slightly, his eyes flashing all over my face, "Do you really think I should go?"

"Yes," I repeat, "I think it'll be good for you."

He moves his lips down to my neck, his fingers slipping under the hem of my shirt, warm fingers gently gripping my waist. "You'll come into town before I leave though, right?"

"That depends on if you can convince me or not," I tease, a coy smile turning my lips up.

He uses the leverage he has on my waist to push me onto my back, collapsing over top of me though he catches himself on his forearms, his eyes meeting mine as I giggle at his drastic attempt, his lips melting into a mischievous smile.

He claims my lips again with his. "Am I – convincing you – yet?" he asks me in between our lips connecting.

"I was only joking," I murmur as his lips trail delicately over my collar bone, "you don't need to convince me to follow you anywhere."

"I couldn't convince you to come with me and Zelda," he argues softly.

I glance down, guilt silencing me. I have nothing to combat his statement.

"It's okay though," he says, returning his eyes to mine as if regretting what he said, "you'll be here for me when I get back, that's all that I need."

I nod, my lips twitching into something I hope passes for a smile though it only lasts for a moment, a dry cough crackling past my lips.

He waits until I've managed to contain it once more before he speaks. "Sorry, am I suffocating you, Red?" he asks sarcastically, just to lighten the mood though I can see the concern through the transparent window of his eyes.

"I can hardly breathe beneath you like this," I mock back, turning my face to the side, hacking desperately as he lifts himself off of me.

He sits back, gently pulling me with him as I curl into a ball, my toes flexing as I clap my hands over my mouth. "I'm worried about you," he mumbles as he brushes my hair off my neck.

I shake my head back and forth vigorously, "I'm fine."

"Do you want me to get your medicine?" he asks, the hesitancy thick on his tongue.

"No. I don't."

"Then let me get you some tea or something," he says, getting out of bed and tucking me in under our covers. He kisses me once on my forehead, before he heads downstairs. I watch the moonstone in the window while I'm waiting, loving the way it captures the galaxy inside it. He doesn't take too long, returning with my tea in a small cup on a saucer.

He sits down beside me as I sit up, carefully passing the tea over to me. "If... if you need me..." he begins quietly as I sip on the hot liquid, the sweet honey soothing my sore throat. "If you need me to come home... just in case things... well, just write me, okay?"

"I will," I say to him, resting my head on his shoulders as I wrap my cold hand around the warm cup, waiting for it to cool.

"Hey, do you want to do something?"

"Okay," I say.

"When we were little, me and Saria would draw pictures with each other. We weren't allowed to show each other until we were finished, and then we would see who's was better," he explains.

I raise my eyebrows, "Link, you know I can't draw."

"Well neither can I," he says, "it's just for fun."

I shake my head, laughing at his enthusiasm, "What will we draw?"

"How about... something that reminds us of home. And then we can trade so that when I'm away I'll have a little bit of here wherever I am," he suggests.

"Okay," I finally agree, passing him the tea cup to place safely on the bedside table.

He smirks, satisfied with getting his way I suppose. In a lot of ways he still reminds me of the little boy that first ran into me at the market, though in a lot of ways I know that he's not. I know that he's seen things he wishes he hasn't, things that keep him up late. Things have happened to him that changed the way he talks, the way he moves. But there will always be this little part of him, the naïve beauty in his eyes.

He pulls out two pieces of paper from my desk, handing me one and handing me my drawing utensil. He manages to hold it so delicately, the grip of his hand changing completely from how he would wield a sword. It fumbles in my hands, the lines I draw are sloppy, but I do find myself relaxing, it's easy to keep my mind busy as I try to sort out the mangled lines and curves and mold them into a picture. I like to peek up at his face, his brow furrowed in concentration as he sits across from me at the foot of the bed. I want to know so desperately what the other end of his pencil yields.

I've been sitting watching him for a long time. I finished a while ago, but I've been entertaining myself all the same just watching his arm move in accordance with the picture he's trying to create. Finally after a long time, he gives me a relieved smile. "I'm done."

"Let's see it," I say, crumpling my paper close to my chest.

"No, let's see yours first," he says, shaking his head and motioning his chin towards me.

"Alright, alright," I agree hesitantly, flipping my page around and waiting.

He bursts out laughing, not even trying to contain is, "What is that supposed to be?"

I frown at him, flipping the paper back towards me, "Look, that's supposed to be the corral, and that's Epona."

"That doesn't look like a horse, that looks like a table with an oven mitt sticking out of it," he exclaims, barely able to talk.

I set the paper down and shove him gently in the chest. "Shut up," I say through a pitiful laugh, realizing that he's right.

"But I love it," he says, picking it up from where I'd discarded it, "because it reminds me of you."

I purse my lips, trying not to smile, trying to keep up the act that I'm mad at him.

"Alright, now let's see yours."

* * *

><p><em>Relief. It's the first thing I feel. He's returned to me better than I've ever seen him except for one purple bruise on the corner of his forehead. He climbs off of Epona while I wait by the door, too excited to say a word.<em>

_ He saunters towards me, nodding once and giving me a grim smile. "I'm tired," is all he says before he walks right past me._

_ For a moment I'm too shocked to speak, but then I turn towards him and snatch his sleeve, restraining him from taking another step. "Are you alright?" I ask, my voice sharp._

_ He doesn't face me though he glances down at my hand on his arm, "I'm fine, I'm just tired."_

_ "What happened to your head? Are you hurt?" I ask, demanding an explanation. He's always shown a bit of excitement upon his arrival, always wanting to tell me about his adventures before he heads off to sleep._

_ "It's fine," he says, his fingers ghosting over the bruise._

_ "What happened?" I ask again, my tone growing short._

_ He shakes his head, "I'm tired, Mal."_

_ I pull harder on his sleeve, causing him to stumble back a step. "No. I understand that you're tired, I understand that you must have been through a lot the past couple of days, and I understand that you might not want to talk right now. But you don't understand that I have been worrying myself sick while you were away, so you are going to tell me happened to you."_

_ He looks a little shocked at my confession, but to be honest, I'm shocked that it came out that way from me. I try to keep my expression poised though as conflict passes over his face._

_ Finally he makes his response; "A lot happened."_

_ I slip my hand down to his wrist, wrapping my fingers as best I can around it. "Come with me," I say, compassion easing the pain in his eyes marginally. I lead him out to the open space where the horses run and graze, pulling him behind the stone barn where it's safe and hidden. I look up into his eyes, fear running rampant in my heart. "Tell me," I beg._

_ He leans his back against the cold stone wall, his legs giving out slowly until he's seated on the ground. I kneel down beside him, my heart pounding._

_ "I was just coming back when I saw smoke rising from Kakariko... I headed over there and saw that the town was on fire... people in the streets."_

_ "Anju," I gasp, placing my hand over my mouth._

_ "Everyone was alright," he says, his voice hollow, "Sheik... he was standing by the well... told me to get back. Something came out from there, breaking the wooden post over top of it, something you couldn't see, but you could just... **feel** how awful it was. I didn't listen, he got hurt and I tried to protect him but it grabbed me, threw me against a wall. I hit my head, when I woke up it was gone."_

_ I analyze his face, waiting for him to go on. I shake my head when he doesn't continue, "That's not what you're upset about."_

_ He throws me a desperate glance and I know that I'm right. Something else is bothering him. He shakes his head, looking down at his toes. I feel an ache in my chest when I realize he doesn't trust me._

_ "Why can't you say what is in your head?" I ask him quietly, my eyes stinging with dejected tears._

_ He looks at me, his eyes haunted, "What would you say if I did?"_

_ I shake my head, my mouth hanging open for a brief moment while I try to find a way to make him understand. "I – I will **never** treat you any differently. I know about the things that happened to you, It's never changed the way I-"_

_ "This is different," he interjects._

_ "How?" I ask, "How is this any different?"_

_ He looks away, staring off at something unimportant as he shakes his head._

_ I touch his chin with my fingers, directing his eyes back over to me. "I know what it's like to keep secrets. It hurts more than saying them out loud."_

_ He looks unconvinced, the sorrow in his eyes refusing to fade._

_ After a moment, my heart starts beating hard. The secrets I've kept are revolting just inside my lips. Perhaps... perhaps if I trust him, he can trust me. "Let me tell you a story," I say softly, "it's about a girl, who, try as she might to convince people otherwise, is alone. She's sad. She's waiting for someone to make things better, but she knows... she knows in the back of her mind that whoever she's waiting for, this figment of her imagination as he's become, isn't coming._

_ "Her family is gone, her friends... she's left with the one person she wishes was gone. This person who... who absolutely hates her for reasons she can't begin to understand," I continue, choking back this uncomfortable feeling in my throat, "and she just wishes that the people around her had kept their promises. This man she's been abandoned with has changed since she was young, he has become cold, and cruel. He doesn't find guilt in hurting her or punishing her like he might have once. He does terrible things to her, he torments her, and she is too afraid to tell anyone, she is too afraid of how they might look at her."_

_ He clenches his jaw, his breath coming out through his nose in a shudder like he's holding back angry tears._

_ "And one night he does something that almost destroys her, but he stops, just for a moment she sees the man she used to respect, but she doesn't forget what he almost did to her. And she is too... ashamed of what he did, that she feels like she can't tell anyone. Because she doesn't want anyone to look at her that way."_

_ He swallows, watching my lips, something that makes my heart lurch._

_ "But I will **never** look at you that way," I finish as one solitary tear falls from my eye and trickles down my cheek._

_ I don't quite register what happens the next second. I see him lean in abruptly, and then his mouth is on mine, and I'm tasting his lips, and his are gently kneading mine. And I adore every moment of it. His hands cradle my face as he tilts his head to he side, his thumb gently working away the wet trail left behind by the tear. I rest one hand on his chest, feeling his heart pounding behind his ribs. This is the first time I've kissed a boy, I wonder if this is his first time kissing a girl. For some reason I hope that I'm his first._

_ He pulls back, looking at me with the same eyes he's always watched me with, though something has changed, however slightly. And I like this change._

_ He smiles lightly at me, his lips parting to reveal his white teeth._

_ I grin, my chin trembling though the pain has left my heart for the time being. I glance up over his shoulder when something catches my eye on the roof of the barn. A flash of blue and white crouching, watching us. He stands up and leaps in the opposite direction off the roof before disappearing from my sight. Sheik had seen everything._

_ I wonder if he'll tell anyone._

_ Like her._

_ "What is it?" Link asks, turning around to follow my gaze though Sheik is gone by now._

_ "Nothing..." I say, turning back to him. "It's nothing."_

_ "Malon?"_

_ "Mhmm?" I murmur as his lips touch my nose once._

_ "I want to tell you what I saw," he says, his voice just above a whisper._

_ I narrow my eyes, looking down for a moment. "I didn't tell you what I did so that you'd feel like you have to tell me."_

_ He touches my cheek so lightly with his fingertips but he manages to make my face look up towards him."I'm telling you so you know that I won't betray your trust," he says. "You have a part of me, I have a part of you."_

_ I nod, "Okay." I like the way that sounds, I have a part of him._

_ "It was in the Water Temple... this thing. I'm still trying to understand what it was. That's part of what scares me," he says quietly, looking down as his brow furrows in concentration, recalling the memory._

_ "A monster?" I ask cautiously._

_ He looks up at me, "Myself."_

_ "What?" I ask, thinking I must have missed something._

_ "It was me... He looked just like me, but I just saw everything bad about myself in him," he whispers. He's fiddling with his fingers, his chest rising and falling faster. He is legitimately shaken up about this. "But only I saw that. When I asked Navi about it after... she said she only saw a silhouette of me... like a shadow._

_ "But I saw him... me... whatever it was, all I saw was myself. He told me every bad thing I'd ever done, he told me every fault I had. And he was right. And I hated that he was right. I am not a hero, Malon, not like everyone is expecting me to be," he says, his voice wavering._

_ I reposition myself onto my knees, resting one of my hands on his knee. "No, Link. You said Ganondorf could create things to toy with our minds, things that aren't real."_

_ "But how would he know all those things if he wasn't real? How would he know those things about me? What if he is a part of me?" he asks, his eyes desperate for answers._

_ "Ganondorf is clever, he knows exactly what will break a person. That's why he destroyed our capital city, that's why he possessed Ingo with one of his spells, that's why he drove out our Princess. That's why he tried to make you feel like you are not good, when I know that you have the most good in you of anyone I know," I explain, hoping that he'll see through the fog that Ganondorf has laid around him._

_ "But those things are true," he says, breaking beneath the weight of this knowledge, "the things he said about me are true."_

_ "How can you say that?" I ask, feeling almost offended that he would take this apparition's word over mine, "You know they're not."_

_ "They are," he says, staring directly at me, the ice in his eyes melting. "I know that the things he spoke of were true, even if I don't want them to be."_

_ "Everyone has faults. You wouldn't be a real person if you didn't. I definitely have my faults, for goodness sakes, Link. I'm jealous of the Princess because she seems to matter more to you than I do. And maybe that's not true, but it's a fault I have," I say, my cheeks turning warm at my confession._

_ "It's not true," he says so gently and so swiftly that there is no hesitation of a lie in his voice._

_ "If you expect me to believe you, then you have to believe me," I say softly._

_ He offers me what passes as a smile and takes my hand, standing up and leading me back out to the center of the corral. "Can we sit like we used to?"_

_ I lay down in the grass, the sun warm on my face. "Some things have changed, but we can always sit here like we used to," I say as I close my eyes._

_ He sits down beside me, "Mal?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "I won't tell anyone about what happened to you," he promises._

_ I blink, gazing upon the sincerity in his face. "Neither will I," I vow._

_ I watch with my hand shielding my eyes from the bright sun as he takes a folded piece of paper from one of his satchels strapped across his body, pinning it against his knee and scribbling something down. I know he's writing the Princess, it's what he usually does to pass on information to her through Sheik. I feel a pang of jealousy in my chest, followed quickly by guilt as I recall Sheik witnessing our kiss. I have to believe that he meant what he said. That I matter just as much. _

_ I ask anyways, just so it won't show, just to try and appear as nonchalant as possible._

_ "Who are you writing?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Cheapest present you'll give that will make me all the happier. <strong>_  
><em>


	8. Skinny Love

**Hey there guys. I don't think I really have anything to say about the chapter except that I wanted to show more about Link for this one. His emotions and how he deals with things. This chapter is named after the song Skinny Love by Birdy. Yes, I know the song is originally by Bon Iver, but I adore the version by Birdy, and that is the one I listened to for inspiration for this chapter. A very pretty song.**

**Alrighty guys. I have a challenge for you. There was a story, one of the first I ever read on this website, and it was one of the best I've read. In it, Link had been captured by Ganondorf, and was basically being tortured. And while light prevailed and all this stuff, I found the ending so melancholic and left me with such an impact. The ending had Link and Zelda returning to the past and meeting once again. Zelda asks "How long has it been?" or something along those lines. Link replies "Something like seven years" and Zelda says, "It feels longer than that." or something... If this sounds familiar, PLEASE let me know what the story is called. I cannot seem to find it anymore and I thought I'd favorited it but it is gone. Help a girl out.**

**Oh, also there's some new pictures up on the blog: leavenodoubt1432 dot tumblr dot com :)**

**Pepper My Ragoo: Um, I love you and I don't even know you. That review just made me smile and I read it like thirty times over. I'm really glad you liked The Parting Glass :)**

**Hoenn Master: I'm sorry I'm toying with your emotions, but I'm happy to hear that you do in fact like the story :) Thanks for keeping up with it.**

**dippychick16: you should know by now I'm not going to just tell you anything ;) You'll find out sooner or later what the picture is of. And yes, Link is that stupid. But he's being manipulated into doing what Malon says because he loves her so much. What's a poor little fairy boy to do?**

**FoxyMonday: Haha, your questions will all be answered by the end hopefully. Sorry to keep you waiting so long! The show LOST taught me how to keep and reveal all manner of secrets in a timely fashion. I don't think the story would be satisfying if you knew everything from the get go, you know? But thanks for being patient!**

**Whew. Read on. (Marcel the Shell style)**

* * *

><p>He lays the paper face down on the bed, pushing it over to me. I swipe it up into my hand, flipping it over to find hundreds of lines that have melded together to create a beautiful piece, smudged fingerprints bordering the picture.<p>

My heart gives slightly under an abrupt clenching grasp. Everything I love and everything I hate lay on the page, frozen in a moment.

I touch my fingers to my lips, letting out a soft gasp. A small sound makes its way out of my mouth, almost like a breath of a sob, though he probably barely heard it.

But I know that he did, because then he takes the picture from my hand and sets it aside, slipping one of his hands into mine and pulling me forward onto my knees so he can wrap his arms around my waist. I drape an arm around his shoulders, the other petting the back of his hair.

"I'm so sorry," he says, his voice breaking, "I'm so, so sorry."

I want to tell him not to worry, I want to tell him that I think it's beautiful, that I love it. But I can't. I can't force myself to do anything but cry into his shoulder, to hold him close to me with trembling hands. _Don't be afraid_, I tell myself.

He pushes me back gently, taking the picture in his hands and I find that I'm not the only one with tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry, this was stupid," he mutters again, both of his hands at the top of the page, about to tear it in half.

"No-" I cut in, reaching out to grasp his wrist. He returns his startled eyes to mine, asking the question that his words won't. "It's beautiful," I finally manage to whimper.

He shakes his head, a muscle in his jaw twitching, "I'm always making you cry. And I hate that."

"You don't make me cry, you make me happy," I tell him, placing my palms on his cheeks. "You make me really happy. You make me really very happy."

"You make me really very extremely happy," he plays along, a vague smile quirking at his lips.

"You make me really very extremely... very happy," I continue, letting out a soft giggle at my inability to find a better word on the spot.

"You said 'very' twice," he informs me.

"Well, I am doubly very happy," I say, trying to act serious despite the little sense my words are starting to make.

"I am triply very happy," he says so softly, so gently, so full of compassion.

"Link?" I ask.

"What?" he asks back, looking down at my lips.

I turn my cheek to the side, touching it twice with the pad of my index finger. Just feeling his soft lips on my face is enough for now to calm the nerves that are still whirring inside of me.

He does as he's directed, just like he's done so many times before. This time though he scoops one of his hands around to my lower back, easing my way down to the bed, his lips still pressed to my cheek. I loop my arms around his waist as he leans on his elbows, wiping away the remainder of the tears on my face with the side of his hand. I smile, laughing as he does his job repetitively, wiping my face over and over again even after the tears are gone. He knows this will make me smile.

He grins, closing his eyes as he touches his nose to mine, moving his head back and forth softly.

He rolls off of me, still holding me tight as he closes his eyes and tucks me under his chin. He sighs, trying to fall into sleep.

"Link?" I ask quietly.

"Hmm,"he murmurs, keeping his eyes closed.

"The light is still on," I remind him, smiling as he rolls onto his back, releasing an exaggerated groan of annoyance.

"I can get it," I offer, raising my eyebrows at his act.

"I'll get it," he says, picking himself up.

"Hon-" I begin.

"I'll get it," he says, taking my shoulder in his hand and pushing me back down onto the bed. He kisses my forehead and gets up, walking across the room to the wall where the oil lamp is still lit. He turns the dial, the flame fading into nothing.

I tuck my knees up to my chest, pulling the blankets out from underneath me until I'm covered by them. I fold down the corner for him, watching him stumble across our room in the dim light from the window with a smile on my face, my eyes growing tired, still irritated from the tears that had flooded them earlier.

He kneels on the bed, feeling for the blankets and then crawling under them, his body seeking out mine. And then he pulls me back into him, and those demons that had been pulling at my hand and breathing down my neck back away again. I rest my face against his chest, inhaling the warmth that he radiates. I slip my hands beneath his shirt, letting my fingers trail against his back.

There's something different about touching skin with our eyes closed, something comforting despite the vulnerability. Something simple about the touch.

He's alive, warm blood beneath his skin, he's alive and so I must be too. We change, the world changes, but we will always be just flesh and warm blood.

We will be this way until the day we die.

* * *

><p>"<em>Bye," I say quietly, raising my hand up close to my face to wave to him even though he's a mere few feet away from me.<em>

_ "I'll see you soon," he says with a smile as he turn away from me and climbs on Epona's back. "And hopefully by the time I get back that cold of yours will be all better."_

_ I smile softly at him, clearing my throat to keep from coughing again in his presence. There's a part of me that feels guilty for not telling him... but then I don't see why I'll ever have to. "Yeah, I'm sure it will be."_

_ "Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone," he says._

_ "I'll try," I say, grinning at him with slightly narrowed eyes._

_ He smiles and turns his eyes towards the horizon, the early rising sun illuminating his face. The burn on his ear is still red and shiny, the scrape on his chin hasn't healed over yet, the bruise above his eyebrow is still fading, but he leaves anyway. He doesn't give himself hardly any time to heal. He moves on before he can let the pain torture him. That's his means of therapy; continuing on with life as if the bruises and scrapes and scars don't exist._

_ The first time he had left to go back I had begged him to stay, begged him to be safe. I couldn't change his mind, but he came back, and that was the most he could do. _

_ I ride out to Anju's after he leaves. I want to rid my mind of the worry. She welcomes me with open arms, and I stay until the following day. When I'm here I can keep my anxious mind busy._

_ I tell her everything that he told me, speaking of him fondly. I was never good at disguising my feelings, she sees right through me._

_ "When are you going to tell him?" she asks, curled up on one side of her sofa with a cup of tea, myself on the other._

_ I blink up at her, lost in thought as my eyes follow the swirling white foam in my cup. "Tell him what?" I ask, returning to the conversation we had been having instead of one Link and I had had before he left._

_ "That you're in love with him," she says, smirking at me._

_ I swallow, blood rushing to my face, "What?"_

_ "Mal, you're all grown up now. I actually listen when you talk about him, it's different than how you talked about him before he came back," she says, waiting for me to admit defeat, admit that she's right._

_ I shake my head, shooting my glance back down into the cup, someplace far more forgiving than Anju's eyes. "I... can't," I mutter._

_ "Why not?" she asks._

_ "Because," I barely manage to let her hear._

_ "Because, why?" she asks, friendly irritation entering her tone._

_ "Because Princess Zelda, that's why," I admit finally, finding something beneath my fingernails to take interest in._

_ "What about her?" Anju asks, shaking her head at me when I dare to peak up at her._

_ "He loves her," I say, feeling something like embarrassment burning at the back of my eyes, tears filling them as a result._

_ "Did he say those exact words to you?" Anju asks, making me feel like an idiot but in the gentlest way possible. She's not afraid to ask the hard questions, she won't sympathize with me if I don't need to be sympathized with._

_ I let out a sharp breath, "Well, why is she so important that he spends all his time trying to find her?"_

_ "Why are you so important that he spends every moment away from his journey with you?" she asks bluntly._

_ I think about those words a lot when we're falling asleep that night. I hadn't known how to answer her when she'd first asked me, so I'd simply said that I didn't know. Though I try to help it, my thoughts don't manage to stray far from him tonight. The pendant he'd carved me presses close to my chest as I sleep, close to my beating heart._

_ I don't feel sick tonight, I think I'm getting better again._

_ He should be home soon, so I ride back first thing in the morning. I can't imagine him arriving back home and the only ones to greet him are Dad and Ingo. I smirk to myself at the thought. _

_ It begins to rain just as I pass under the arch, thick swirling grey clouds cloak the blue. I've always loved the smell of the rain, when I was younger I would always stand out under the tree despite my father's warnings of the safety hazard it posed. I wander towards it now, taking off my shoes and leaving them beside the door to the house under the eaves trough so they won't fill with water. The grass is just damp right now beneath my toes as I make my way over to the tree, but the storm escalates quickly. I lean my head against the smooth bark of the tree, letting its thick foliage shelter me from the downpour, letting the sounds soothe away every last anxious thought._

_ I open my eyes when I feel something's off. The clean smell of rain water on grass and leaves is tainted. There's something diluting it. Smoke._

_ The sun burns through the remaining fog as the storm continues east towards Kakariko, quickly passing over. I wonder if something in Castle Town is burning again, or if the rapid moving storm just brought the smell with it on the wind from miles and miles away._

_ The dense smell reminds me of when I was young on that night that I've tried many times to forget. I sink to the ground, curling around my knees as the wet ground dampens the hem of my dress. I have to tell myself that there is no need to hide right now. That I'm safe and sound beneath this tree._

_ It takes me a long time to convince myself that it's the truth._

_ The rain has passed long ago, the white light of the sun streaming through the rich emerald leaves, glittering off the drops of water dangling on the tips like crystals. I breathe slowly and pull myself up the tree until I'm standing, wishing that he'd found me sitting there so he could reassure me that things were fine, and I wouldn't have to do it myself. Nevertheless, I have to choose to be brave sometimes... because he's not here all the time._

_ I'm just about to turn the knob on the front door when I hear her, Epona. I grin, turning around and leaning against the door as I try to control the erratic palpitations of my heart. It's him, though his tunic has changed again, this time he's wearing a navy one, rather than the deep crimson one he wore the last time, or his usual green one._

_ And as I caress my eyes over his tired face, I feel the utmost relief. All of the wounds from last time have vanished, the work of a healing fairy no doubt, and the only mark upon him is one purple bruise on the corner of his forehead. He has returned to me better than he ever has._

_ Though something is different in his eyes, something that makes me doubt my relief._

* * *

><p>I wake up having slept soundly. A rarity in my books, but one I'm not about to question. I open my eyes to find the room quiet but dim. There are streaks down the window, rain drops sweeping down the pane of glass. I readjust my head on my pillow, the fabric slightly damp from the humidity in the air, and inch myself in closer to Link's chest against my back. Subconsciously, he drapes an arm over my waist, and I overlay my hand on his, my forearm running up the length of his.<p>

The surface of the moonstone reflects the delicate beads of water on the window. I can't take my eyes off them. I've always liked the rain.

A knock on the door draws my attention away. I look towards it and gently lift Link's arm off of me. "Yes?" I call softly.

"Mal, it's me. There's a letter here for Link," Dad's muffled voice says through the door.

I walk across the floor on the balls of my feet despite the fact that everyone is presumably awake, I can hear the bed shifting beneath Link as he awakens and glance back to see him opening his disoriented eyes behind me.

I open the door a crack and find my dad waiting with a thick white envelope in his hand, he slips it through the crack in the door and into my hands, smiling at me before he heads back downstairs without another word. I wonder if it's strange for him, to see his only daughter grown up, seeing a boy beside her every morning. After Ganon was defeated he told me that he liked seeing me happy.

Maybe that's why he just smiles at the two of us.

I recognize the royal seal on the envelope. Zelda has already responded to the letter Link sent out yesterday. I hadn't expected this so soon, and I feel disappointment that we must leave so soon. The sooner we set out, the sooner he must go.

I sit back on our bed, climbing in under the covers and letting myself be absorbed back into Link's tired arms. "Who's the letter from?" he whispers, eyes closed as he holds me close.

"Zelda," I say softly.

"Hmm," he murmurs, nestling his face into the pillow and attempting to lose himself to sleep again.

I narrow my eyes at his lack of curiosity. "Don't you want to read it?"

"No," he mutters, the slightest amount of annoyance entering his tone.

"Well, why not?" I ask, becoming baffled.

He finally opens his eyes, his pupils constricting in the low light. "Because, I'm laying here with you, and I want to lay here with you for a while longer before I have to even think about going away."

I grin as I gaze up at him, sweeping my fingers up his arm absentmindedly and underneath his sleeve. "Can we lay here for forever?"

"Sure," he whispers, pressing his lips to my forehead, "if that's what you want."

My smile fades slightly as I hide half of my face in his shirt, wishing more than anything that it could be real. That we wouldn't have to change. I curl my fingers up around the back of his shoulder, feeling his chest rise and fall against mine, the letter from Zelda crushed in my other hand between us.

Yes, it's what I want. But I've been given so much of what I wanted already, I suppose that fate had to let up sometime.

I sit up reluctantly, gently setting the letter down on his chest. His eyes pierce mine, disheartened and pleading with me. I bite my lip and touch my fingers to the envelope once more, _just open it_, I want to say. But I don't trust myself to speak.

He nods, understanding the simple gesture. This is something that no one else would be able to follow, no one else could communicate with me without speaking. It is something I had to learn to do when I was younger, because I was so desperate to understand the fairy boy, but he wouldn't speak freely, so I had to understand the way he moved, the way his eyes changed. I started speaking the same language as him.

He turns his attention back to the letter, sliding his thumb beneath the flap to break the wax seal. He pulls out the correspondence inside and reads it with narrowed eyes. "She wants us to come as soon as we're able," is all he says before he folds it up into a tight little square and crushes it in his palm, though his face remains serene.

I swallow, leaning down over him to brush my lips to his. I smirk, "You'd better shave before you meet with the Princess." I know he hasn't shaved at least since he's been home, the scruffy hair on his face prickly against my lips. It makes him look so much older.

He brings his hand to his jaw, trailing his fingers along his chin. "You're right," he says with a weary smile. He sits up, dropping the crumpled paper from his hand and cupping my jaw in both of them. Pulling my lips to his again, he rubs his unshaven face against mine just because I'd taken note of it.

I laugh, pushing him away, "Stop! That tickles."

He manages to squeeze in a brief kiss on my cheek before he climbs off the bed swiftly and heads for the bathroom, leaving me alone with the ruffled sheets and crumpled paper.

I wait until his footsteps have stopped, until I know he's not coming back immediately to reach gingerly towards the ball of paper. I want to know what her exact words were, for whatever reason, I want to know what she wrote for only his eyes.

I pick up the paper and hold it in my palm for a long time. I wait until I hear him finishing.

And then I set it on the bedside table and I climb off the mattress to make breakfast, leaving the letter there with nothing but the warmth left behind by my hand.

* * *

><p>"<em>So this will be my job. While you're out saving us, I'll be here waiting to fix you."<em>

_ He nods, wincing as I apply a thick cream to the raw burn on his ear. Though it turns out more like a grimace, I'm positive that he is trying to smile._

_ "Is that everything then?" I ask, eyeing his poor battered face._

_ "One more," he replies quietly. He slips the sleeve of his tunic off over his shoulder, revealing a dark bruise right over the bone. It looks absolutely awful. Far worse than the bruise on his forehead. I bite my cheek, fearing that the bone in his shoulder might be cracked or broken._

_ "How did this one happen?" I ask, standing up to search for something cold to ease the swelling, coughing softly into my arm so that I don't drown him out._

_ "Well... when I was fighting Volvagia... rocks starting falling from the ceiling, like the place was caving in. one of the bigger ones just nicked me," he explains._

_ "Just 'nicked' you. Of course," I say, rolling my eyes._

_ "It didn't crush me," he explains, his reasoning for saying things the way he did. "And it could have."_

_ Finally I find something that is chilled enough to work. I hold the thick, red piece of meat in my hands and slap it onto his shoulder. He let's out a short gasp of pain as I ease off the pressure marginally. "Please, just don't ever let yourself be crushed by a boulder," I ask him, "or by anything for that matter."_

_ He nods, his eye twitching in discomfort. A knot forms in my stomach at his unease, so I do what my dad always does for me, whether it's when I'm sick or if I get hurt. I wipe one of my hands off on my apron, ridding it of the red-brown blood, and place it on his back, gently rubbing it, trying to soothe the ache away. _

_ He seizes under my touch for a moment, and my fingers pause their delicate trail. The knot is replaced by a fluttery feeling, one that touches my cheeks with a crimson stain. His head bows then as his body relaxes again, though my hand remains hesitantly frozen. "I'm sorry," he says, his voice just above a whisper, "don't stop."_

_ I ghost of a smile passes over my lips, my fingers stroking over the taught muscles in his shoulders. They ache to touch his skin, a thought that makes the inside of my stomach burn. _

Stop this_, I have to tell myself, _you're being silly_._

_ I find the only way to relieve the odd pang of wanting inside of me is to drop my hand. "P-perhaps you should... sleep," I say, the air leaving my lungs too quickly._

_ He nods again. "I should probably rest."_

_ "Link... you can sleep in my bed now. I want you to be comfortable so that you're not hurting," I say._

_ He stands up, his eyes glossing over me, filled with something like appreciation. "But where will you sleep?"_

_ I shake my head, "Go rest."_

_ He lowers his eyes, and gives a gracious nod of his head to me before he continues up the stairs to my bedroom. I watch until he's closed the door and lean my back against the wall, clapping my hand to my forehead. My face is scorching, and not because I'm ill._

_ "What's the matter with me?" I whisper to myself._

_ I refuse to think of the one possibility as to why this is happening. I sit at the kitchen table until my heart has slowed down, until I can breathe._

_I hadn't meant to fall asleep at the table, so I know what it must have looked like when Link passed me by this morning. I had every intention of setting up a makeshift bed, but my head had ended up on the thick wooden table. _

_ I awake with a stiff neck as the front door closes, trying desperately to wipe away the sleep from my eyes before I chase after him. I just want to say goodbye. Tell him to be safe. I slam the front door behind me, finding him just preparing Epona to go. He whirls around to face me, a grin lifting one corner of his mouth into a smile at the sight of me._

_ "Good morning, sleepyhead," he says quietly._

_ "Mornin'" I say, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear that had caught the wind._

_ "I... I wouldn't have taken your bed if I'd known you were going to sleep on the table," he says apologetically._

_ "T-that was plan B. My original intentions weren't to be... sleeping on the table," I say with a nervous laugh._

_ He just smiles, "I'll be two days at most."_

_ "I'll be here," I say with a shrug, though I feel a little breathless. "Bye."_

_ I wave to him, even though he's so close to me I should be able to reach out and hug him. I keep my distance, I stand my ground._

_ "I'll see you soon," he says, the smile not fading. I take comfort in that. Yes... I'll see him soon._

* * *

><p>Dad still seems surprised when we tell him we're leaving so soon, even though we discussed this over dinner last night, even though we all knew the likelihood of having to leave immediately was high. He didn't seem to like the idea of Link going away for so long, especially when he was under the impression that it was Link's decision. Though, when I had admitted that I told him he should go, Dad had just bowed his head, his brow furrowed, and finished his dinner in silence.<p>

Link loads most of his belongings in his pack, and I pack just enough for a day or two. I assume we'll only be staying in town for this long, he had said that Zelda seemed eager to start their trip. I doubt she's expecting me to tag along, but I hope she won't mind my being there. From Link's stories she had always seemed kind and compassionate.

"Are you all ready, Mal?" Link asks quietly from the doorway as I stand looking down into an empty drawer. His picture he drew still sits inside, folded up at the bottom.

I take it in my hand and tuck it into a smaller pocket on the outside of my own pack before closing the drawer and turning back to him. "Yup," I say smiling at him.

He nods over his shoulder, waiting until I am close enough to take my bag from me and carry it down the stairs, holding my hand in his empty one.

"I'm excited to see the castle," I say, grinning up at him, "I've heard it's even more beautiful since they've rebuilt it."

I can see in the tight set to his jaw that he knows I'm forcing conversation, but he plays along, he eases my nerves. "It is. Zelda has good taste in... architecture," he mutters, watching me with agitation in his eyes.

He looks away as we reach the floor, his hand squeezing mine tight. "Do... do you want me to stay here?" I ask him, awaiting his response with unease.

He stops abruptly, spinning back to capture me with puzzled eyes. "No."

I nod, letting out a deep breath before saying, "Okay."

"Let's go, darling," he murmurs, pulling me gently outside to where our two horses wait.

I follow him, watching him strap the bags to the horses as I button up my cloak in the chill morning air, the rain still drizzling, the clouds so low that some of them waft right past Link and I. Winter is making its steady approach, and in a couple month, more or less, the rain will be white wispy flakes.

And he won't be here to cradle me in his arms and keep the cold from grasping me.

He reaches his hand out towards me then, and I take it with gloved fingers as he helps me up onto the tall horse's back. In such heavy clothing, it's difficult to maneuver myself onto her. He pulls himself up onto Epona, before he kicks his heels gently into her sides, coaxing her into a trot.

This is the last time he will see the ranch for some time. But he doesn't look back.

Not even once.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, want to know what happens next? Review away, dear readers. Review away.<strong>


	9. Winter Song

**This chapter is really long. I could have cut out certain scenes, but I felt like they were important for displaying character. It was supposed to go on even longer but I had to draw the line somewhere. Soo.. Yeah. In other news, are you surprised that this chapter is out so quick? Yeah, don't get used to this. I just didn't work for two days in a row. Next chapter might take a bit longer.**

**This chapter is called Winter Song after the beautiful duet by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. Go check it out.**

**dippychick16: Guess what? You get some things revealed today. Sort of. I hope you're happy ;) Also, you'll find out about her illness before the last chapter, but no guarantees. And I know that you want to hate Zelda, but I hope this chapter changes your mind somewhat.**

**Renegader73059: thanks yet again for the review :) Your words are very kind and very important to me.**

**Hoenn Master: So thank you, first off. Secondly, I knew the phrase was in Latin, though I had to take it to a friend of mine studying Latin to understand what it said. I don't exactly recall, but something like "To God who gives joy to my youth?" Something like that?**

**Fae: I love people like you. That review made my day and I read it like a bazillion times with the hugest grin. Thanks so very much.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Someday I'll show you everything."<em>

_ "Really?" I ask, my eyes alighting with curiosity._

_ His chin drops in half a nod, "I'll show you all the things I've seen, and all my favorite places."_

_ "Once you're better," I remind him gently._

_ He shakes his head, looking away from me with a tight grin on his face, like he's trying to hide it. My heart lurches uncomfortably like it's trying to fit in more beats in a moment than it's supposed to. He's my best friend, I've known him since I was little. I don't know what's wrong with me lately._

_ Or... maybe I know what's wrong, but it's too stupid to admit. Even to myself._

_ I clear my throat, swallowing away the bursting feeling that has gathered in my throat before it can escape. "Will you take me up the mountains?"_

_ "If only to watch the sun go down," he says, wincing away slightly as I remember what I'm supposed to be doing, dabbing at his chin with a piece of clean white cloth. "And then watch the moon appear. Maybe it's because you're closer to it, but it looks so much bigger from up there."_

_ "You can show me... Once this is over," I say softly, revising my earlier statement._

_ He just stares back into my eyes, a soft agreement in them. Ever since I was younger, when someone looked me straight in the eye, something inside of my chest would ache. It was like they were seeing everything I was trying to keep secret, like they were looking inside of me. When he gazes past my eyes it hurts even more. "Once this is over," he concurs after some time._

_ I bite my cheek, the way he'd said it so much more resolved than how I did. "Stop talking," I mumble, "I can't fix up your chin when you're talking."_

_ He let's out a short breath through his nose; a minute scoff in my direction. "There's no use in fixing it. It's not going to have time to heal before I have to go."_

_ I sit back on my own chair, setting down the piece of cloth and pushing my hair off my forehead, "Well, the least I can do is make it hurt less."_

_ "It feels better," he murmurs. "You're good at that."_

_ "Making things hurt less?" I ask._

_ "Making things better," he replies simply._

_ I smile, blush tinting my cheeks. I try and find something to distract his attention away from me, so I pick up a cool cream for the burn on his ear, shifting in closer to him so I can put it on. He's so close to me now that I can feel him breathing. I could touch my lips to his if I wanted to._

_ I **do** want to. But I don't know that he does._

_ "And fixing things," he adds as I touch my index and middle finger to the cream, "you're good at that too."_

_ I grin, knowing I at least have something small to contribute. "So this will be my job. While you're out saving us, I'll be here waiting to fix you."_

* * *

><p>Every time I come here, things are slowly returning to the way they once were. While there are still remnants of the past; boarded up windows and crumbling stone, the bustling people have returned, the enthusiastic merchants, the laughter of small children. I've always adored the sound of children's laughter.<p>

Link leads myself and our two horses through the back alleyways where it's quieter, where the people don't stop and stare as he passes, tugging on his sleeve, crying in thanks. He believes he doesn't deserve it, but I know that he does.

The only witnesses to our passing in the alley are an old, hunched-over man, and a small girl playing with a shaggy white dog, her yellow dress trailing in the muddy streets, a grey shawl protecting her from the cold. She picks up the dog that seems far too big for her to be holding and smiles at the two of us. I glance over at Link and he smiles back at her.

"Hello," she says to him.

"Hi there," Link replies, slowing his footsteps.

"What's your name?" she asks. She can't be more than five years old, she's still at that age where strangers are just friends waiting to be made. They aren't to be avoided.

He stops his strides, crouching down to her level and speaks quietly to her, "I'm Link, what's your name?"

"I'm Lucy," she replies proudly.

"It is very good to meet you, Lucy. Both of our names start with 'L', that's neat!" he exclaims so softly that only she and I can hear it.

She laughs, nodding and holding the struggling dog tighter.

"Hey, is this your dog?" Link asks.

She shakes her head, "No, I just like to play with him."

Link reaches out and scratches the poor animal's head with his fingers, "He's soft, isn't he?"

She gives him an exaggerated nod.

"Do you think your dog is softer than mine?" Link asks, motioning towards Epona with his thumb.

Her eyes grow wide, small white teeth filling her smile, "That's not a dog, silly!"

"What?" Link asks in mock disbelief. "No, I'm positive that she's a dog. She's just a really big dog."

The little girl, Lucy, shakes her head. "_No_," she says, drawing out the 'o' "that's a horsey, mister."

"You're absolutely sure?" Link asks, scratching his head as he glances up at Epona.

"Yes!" Lucy exclaims, seemingly exasperated at Link's lack of comprehension, "Doggies are small, horseys are big."

"If you say so," Link says as seriously as he can manage, "I'll have to take her back so I can get a real dog."

Her eyes light up, "Do you wanna trade?"

Link chuckles, standing back up and setting his hand on her head, "She's got to take me far, far away. I don't think your puppy will be able to hold me up, do you?"

She laughs, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth in embarrassment, "No."

"Okay, but you take good care of that doggy, okay?" he asks her, taking the little shawl that's slipping off her shoulders and wrapping it tightly around her.

"Okay," she says, letting the dog go as it scampers in a circle around her, wagging it's tail excitedly.

"I'm glad to have met you, Lucy," he says.

She just grins up at him, waving her hand as she watches us pass by. Link glances over at me and smiles. He's always had a way with younger kids, perhaps because he grew up with them.

I love the way he looks when he talks to children, just something ignites in his eyes, something like pure life. He can talk to children because they'll treat him like he wants to be treated. Just like a man walking down the road.

I can imagine him sitting with a child in his arms, and the image steals my heart. Maybe he will still have that someday. I can hope for him.

We walk the rest of the way up to the gate of the castle in silence, my fingers laced in his. I imagine that he does this so that he won't have to explain to the guard who I am or what I'm doing with him. The guard doesn't ask.

One of the guards sends for Princess Zelda when we reach the front doors. I've never been this close to the castle. My father is the one that always made deliveries to the castle. My father and Link. The closest I got was the gate outside. It's so much grander up close, I can see every fleck of glass within the thick stone walls that causes the sun to reflect off of it.

He lets go of my hand when we're allowed inside, I take my hood off, allowing my hair to spill out around my face. The first thing I notice as I glance around in awe is the magnificent glass chandelier hanging just above us, hundreds of flickering white lights illuminating the hall. Marble pillars with vines and leaves carved into the top and base interrupt the ongoing glassy floor. The floor is spotless, glimmering tile alerting us to anyone nearby by the constant_ clack, clack, clack,_ of their heels. The winding staircase that leads to an upper floor carries a thick navy carpet in the center of the stair, spilling out to us like a river.

"Her Majesty, Princess Zelda Hyrule," one of the guards says at the top of the stairs, just before she appears like a goddess descending from the heavens as she makes her way down the stairs.

I can't help the envy that claws at my heart as I bow my head low, curtseying like every girl in this country has been taught to do. She's far more beautiful than Link had let on, far more beautiful than the small princess I'd seen once or twice as a young girl. Her silvery blonde hair is swept into a neat bun that is nestled at the nape of her neck, a glittering tiara with a sapphire in the center is atop her head, her chin high as she grins down at Link, her flawless ivory skin giving way to the faintest of blush. He's bowed next to me, not seeing what I see as I peek up once.

"Link," she says, her voice rich with joy as she finishes the final stretch that lays between us. He stands once more and I follow his lead as she smiles at him.

He reaches a hand out towards her as she places her palm in his. He presses a polite kiss to her knuckle. "Princess," he addresses her quietly.

"None of that," she says quickly, "now you have to introduce me to your guest."

I feel my face turn red as I curtsey again in an attempt to hide it. "Your Highness," I say softly.

"This is Malon, I live with her at the ranch," Link explains.

"Ah, of course," she says, even her voice poised, "I should have known. She's far more lovely than you had told me."

The corners of Link's lips turn up at me as I rise once more. "She'll just be staying with me until we depart," Link tells her, "I hope that's alright."

"Oh, absolutely," Zelda says, some of her enthusiasm revealing just a girl beneath the poise. "I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you're here so soon."

He and I exchange a glance, "We left almost as soon as we got your letter."

Her eyes soften, "You must have had a long day. I'll have one of the maids show you two to your rooms so you can put your things away and freshen up. I'll have someone tend to your horses as well."

"Malon can stay with me... in my room," Link informs her.

Her brow furrows for less than a second. "Oh... th-there's only one bed in your room though..." she says, her composure stuttering as her eyes glance between he and I.

He nods, "That's fine."

She swallows, putting a small smile back on. "Sure, I'll send someone for you both in a few hours for dinner, and then Link, you and I can discuss our campaign to our neighboring states."

"Of course, thank you," Link says modestly.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," she says, directing her attention to me as she smiles and curtsies. I mimic her, though I find myself unable to say anything in fear that I don't say the right thing. Silence is safe.

She gives us each a warm smile before she turns down and continues along the ongoing corridor, the sound of her heels on the floor growing distant. "I'll show you to your rooms then," a young maid says to us with a light accent after Zelda has departed, turning over her shoulder and leading us up the grand staircase.

I'm afraid I'm going to soil the carpet with my muddy and wet boots, but Link continues on as if he's at home, so I follow him.

It's so quiet in the halls that I'm afraid to breathe. I can't wait to be behind a solid door so we can speak out loud and obliterate the silence.

The maid opens double doors into a room and hands Link a key, directing us inside before she leaves us to ourselves. The room is enormous, probably larger than the whole bottom floor of our house. There's a smaller chandelier in the center of the round ceiling, a thick plush bed with a canopy over it on the far wall, tall windows on either side of it with different colored glass within them; icy blue and soft green. A fireplace stretches up the length of the left wall, a sofa before it and a low wooden table. On the right side of the wall is a door which I assume must lead to a bathroom.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. This is more beautiful than any place I've ever been allowed to lay eyes on. And I'm going to be staying here.

"This is the room I stay in whenever I come," he says quietly, taking off his pack and setting it down beside the door. He takes a few steps towards the center of the room before he turns back around to me.

I enter slowly, still gaping at the shear grandeur of it all.

He waits, watching me with his lips sealed shut, gauging my reaction. I clear my throat, finding my voice again, "You must hate coming home."

He narrows his eyes at me, contradicting the statement with one glance.

"Don't you wish you had all of this all the time?" I ask him, knowing what my response would be.

"No," he says firmly yet so softly.

I drop my bag where I'm standing, bending over to unlace my filthy boots. He just watches as I step out of the damp leather and onto the thick carpets. I smile as I wiggle my toes in between the soft fibers. "Softer than grass," I say.

Half a smile kindles the life in his features as he joins me, taking off his own boots and meeting me on the carpet. He brings his fingertips underneath my jaw, tilting my face up to meet his in a mellow kiss. "I'm so glad that you're here," he murmurs, his nose touching mine.

"I am too," I whisper, "I am too."

* * *

><p>"<em>Link!" I call out to him as he arrives back, climbing off of Epona.<em>

_ He grins at me as I slow my run just before him, panting as I flash my eyes over him. He's wearing a different tunic so I wasn't sure that it was him. This must be the one he told me he got the last time he was at Death Mountain. This one is a deep crimson, made out of a different material too, like leather but not quite. I wonder if it's dragon skin, which I've only ever heard of. "You look awful," I manage to say, his face covered in soot, burns on his hands and ear, the ends of some strands of hair singed._

_ He laughs, and the sound startles me coming from him. "Thanks a lot."_

_ "Well, **you** don't look awful," I say, rolling my eyes, "but you look like you went through a lot of awful."_

_ "It's not as bad as it looks," he promises, "the dirt makes everything look worse."_

_ I smile, shaking my head, "Let's get you inside so we can see how bad it actually is."_

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm almost done... sorry this is taking so long, but you're filthy," I say as I wipe a damp cloth down the bridge of his nose, trying to wipe off all the dirt and grit so I can see the damage that lays beneath. I cough into my sleeve as I work, things having gotten worse since he was last here, though it's nothing I've never experienced before. There are some areas that I've found out the hard way are bruises, not dirt. He never shouts out or makes any jolting motions, just sucks in sharp breaths. That's enough of a warning for me.<em>

_ He remains silent, keeping his eyes closed as I dab at the spots crusted over with blood, trying to blot out the soot. His eyelid twitches slightly. I'm sure this must sting._

_ "So how did all of this happen?" I ask. This is probably the worst I've seen him, but he's right, the black dust on his face makes everything look far worse._

_ "Falling rocks, lava, dragons, take your pick," he says through gritted teeth._

_ "Dragons," I say, sitting back to dampen the cloth again, trying to keep my mouth closed over a dry cough._

_ "Are you sick?" he asks me._

_ I freeze, my eyes growing large for just a moment before I can contain myself again. "It's just a cold."_

_ He narrows his eyes, pausing before he continues on. "It's name was Volvagia, or that's what the Gorons told me. This dragon that had taken all of the Gorons from Goron Village," he explains, closing his left eye as I tend to that side of his face._

_ "Right, you told me about that," I murmur._

_ "So I had to free all of them first, but they were scattered throughout the temple. And being inside of a volcano has it's dangers," he tells me, wincing as I come to a bruise over his eyebrow._

_ "I can imagine."_

_ "I got burnt a few times by lava spouts, Volvagia just managed to get my ear," he says, his fingers ghosting over the burn there. "There was a point where I had to hold onto the outside of the rock we were fighting on, just to avoid things that were falling from the ceiling. It was so hot that it burnt my fingertips... My arms were so tired I thought I'd fall."_

_ "I'll get to that," I let him know, gesturing to his ear._

_ "But somehow I managed to hold on," he says quietly._

_ "It's because you're strong... you're strong here," I say, tapping my finger to his temple. _

_ He smirks, "No. I would just think about how I told you I'd come back. So really, it's all thanks to you."_

_ I fold my hands in my lap, grinning from ear to ear. "You're welcome."_

_ He snickers, "I already broke my promise once before, I won't do it again."_

_ "Okay," I say, nodding, "I trust you."_

_ He looks down as I take a dry piece of cloth in my hands to stop the blood that is now freely flowing from the cut on his chin. "I really like it up there... The mountains are just so big, and they just go on for forever... I just would look and wonder what's on the other side of them," he says, his eyes looking far off like he's trying to see now._

_ "I would like to see that," I murmur, looking at his face, now clean though still tainted by bruises and scrapes._

_ "Someday I'll show you everything," he says gently._

_ I smile, imagining the mountains in front of me with him by my side. I don't tell him, but I can't wait for that day. _

* * *

><p>"M'lady requests your presence at dinner."<p>

"Thank you," Link says to the maid waiting outside our door, "let her know we'll be down shortly." She bows her head and leaves, Link closing the door behind her. He turns back around to me, leaning his back against the tall door. "You ready?"

I nod, running my fingers through my hair once. "How do I look?"

His eyes caress down my body, half-lidded almost like he's in pain, before returning to my face. "You look so beautiful," he murmurs, his voice almost breaking with how soft it is.

My lips shift and I find myself speaking from the side of my mouth, "Enough for dinner with the Princess of Hyrule?"

He nods, his face completely serious. I'm glad that I'd decided to pack one dress that's worthy for a royal dining hall. It was my mother's and she wore it to a ball when she was my age. It hasn't seen use since then, but it was the only option I had. Dad had held onto it because she was wearing it when they met.

It's a rich teal color, satiny material hugging the slight curves of my body and falling to my toes. The straps just slip past my shoulders, swooping into a wide _V_ over my chest. I'm glad the dress falls past my feet, because I don't own any shoes fit enough for this dress, so I go barefoot.

He reaches out his hand towards me as I pick up the hem of the dress in one hand, taking his in the other. "Link?" I ask as he's about to twist the doorknob, our fingers locked together.

He pauses, looking back at me.

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

He shakes his head, "I didn't see why she needed to know."

I nod, turning back to the door and waiting expectantly for him to open it. He watches me for just a moment longer before he twists the handle and leads us out into the hall, wearing the dress clothes he'd acquired on one of his trips to the castle – a pristine white shirt, black pants. I smirk, I'm quite certain that it was Zelda who had to convince him to wear them. Regardless, she'd chosen well, he looks handsome.

The dining hall suits the rest of the castle; grand, spacious, quiet. We wait, seated side by side for a few minutes before she appears. We both stand until she takes her seat, and then we follow her. She is wearing a beautiful pine green gown, white gloves stretching up to her elbows. Her hair has been let out of it's bun and falls in thick rivulets past her shoulders.

Soon after, maid after maid enters the room, placing silver trays on the table. Chicken, goose, potatoes, steamed broccoli, salads, golden loaves of bread, whipped butter. This is more food in one place than I've ever seen. And the smell... I'm not sure how long I can wait.

I've never gone hungry. Dad and I have always been well off, but this is just... _so_ much. The maids put a helping of everything on our plates, excusing themselves quietly afterward.

Zelda folds her hands beneath her chin and watches. "Please," she tells us with a slightly bemused smile, motioning with her hand towards our plates.

I swallow, my mouth watering as I take one of the forks in my hand, taking a measured bite of potatoes, perfectly creamy, buttery, delicious.

"How was the journey here?" Zelda asks Link. I imagine she's still slightly wary of my presence.

"Cold. It's getting cold out there," Link says, taking a drink of water.

"It was snowing up in the mountains the other day I'm told," she says, making polite conversation. "Maybe we'll have an early winter."

Link smiles. "Wouldn't that be lovely," he says with minute sarcasm.

She redirects her attention to me then, her mouth forming a brilliant smile, perfectly straight glimmering white teeth aimed at me. "Malon, your dress is stunning on you."

"Thank you," I murmur, feeling blood rush to my face at the compliment, especially from such a prestigious person. "It was my mother's."

"I have a dress almost that same color. It doesn't look as good with my hair color and complexion as yours does, however." she says, the exuberant smile fading to a smaller one.

"I'm sure it's gorgeous on you," I say.

"I'm actually wondering how it would look on you," she says with earnest eyes, "perhaps I could show it to you after dinner."

I glance towards Link but he just offers me a humble smile, approval in his motions as he settles his hand over mine on top of the table.

Zelda's eyes don't miss the gesture. She looks away again quickly, smiling up at me though it seems more forced this time, like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have been. "It's later than I expected. We can discuss our journey tomorrow morning, Link... once you're rested."

"Absolutely," Link replies, "probably for the better anyways. I'd be a tad embarrassed if I started snoring in the midst of an important discussion."

She starts laughing and I see this thin thread of friendship and trust between them. It's something I'm sure not many are aware of, and it's easy to look over. But it's there. "And I for you," she says, tucking a stray piece of her hair away as she laughs.

Zelda is different than how I had built her up in my mind, but I like the way she is compared to my imagined version. She's kind and smart but she's someone that, could we pass each other at the market, I could strike up a conversation with, become friends. I wonder if she's lonely because of the status she holds. I imagine she must be because everyone sees her like I imagined her.

And I understand why Link said he wouldn't want all of this.

He knows the price it comes with.

* * *

><p><em>"Mal!"<em>

_ I prop myself up onto my knees, folding up the letter and sticking it into a pocket. "Yeah?"_

_ "There you are," Dad says, rounding the corner and finding me beneath the tree. I push myself up onto my feet, smiling as his eyes crinkle with joy before he hugs me. "Did that boy come back yet?"_

_ "No, he's still away," I say, trying to hide the disappointment._

_ "Alright, I'm just trying to decide how much dinner to make," he mumbles, gazing off and settling his hands on his hips._

_ I raise my eyebrows, "You're making dinner?"_

_ He holds up his hands in defense, "Hey, hey. I learned to cook while I was away. That woman I was living with put me to work."_

_ I laugh, "The one good thing that came out of it."_

_ "And I just thought... well, you could take a night off for once in your life," he explains._

_ I sling my arms around his neck, knocking him off balance slightly as I kiss his cheek, "Thanks, Dad... I'm so glad you're back."_

_ "So am I, baby girl, so am I," he says gently, returning the hug._

_ I'm almost seventeen, I'm almost an adult, but I like being 'baby girl' again. I like that no matter how old I get, he'll always be my dad, and I'll always be his baby._

_ I'm slightly skeptical of his cooking however, which is why I wait until both he and Ingo have taken a bite of their supper for themselves. As long as they're both still living, I will be too._

_ But it's true, the woman that took him in in Kakariko taught him well. Before he left, Talon plus cooking was equal to disaster and/or death. I had to learn while I was young for the preservation of my health how to cook. For a solid four years of my life I ate the same three meals every day, the three that he could actually make. Oatmeal, bread and cheese, tomato soup._

_ But this is delicious._

_ Ingo and Dad both retire soon after dinner, a quiet truce between them. There is the obvious tension, but I think they've both decided it easier to look past it, than to bring it up again. I know from Ingo's silence that he bears regret._

_ I take my chances outside, hoping that the corral is far enough away from the house that they won't hear me. I stand, taking in the silence for a long while before I open my mouth, singing softly. It sounds different, my voice far more matured than when I last sang, but it's still there, that liberating quality it opens within me._

_ I stop abruptly when I hear a very familiar sound, a sound that could only belong to a single creature. All of the horses are in for the night, inside the barn, sleeping._

_ And yet I hear the clipped sound of hooves on the ground._

_ I start running before I can even think, I run as fast as I can, and by the time the dark gives way to gold light spilling from the windows of the house, he's waiting._

_ "Link!" I call out to him with a smile._

_ He did it, he came back._

* * *

><p>I can't deny how intimidated I feel walking into Zelda's dressing room, looking at Zelda's clothes, especially when I'm not wearing any shoes. Everything in here is so completely magnificent and furthermore, <em>expensive<em> looking.

"Here it is," she says, taking a dress quite similar in color to mine off the hanger. The material is obviously more refined, maybe silk, sparkling stones adorning the waistline.

"It's very beautiful, Princess," I say quietly.

She smiles warmly, "Would you like to try it on?"

The thought makes me uncomfortable, but I can see the pure desire in Zelda's eyes to at least try with me, try to be friends. The more I see of her, the more I believe my suspicions are true. She's just a lonely girl, she just wants to have people near her. "Sure. Thank you."

I regret blaming her for asking Link to be away so often. He's probably the closest thing she has to a friend. I'm the exact same way. I always want him to be by my side because I'm so isolated, so is she.

She's taller than me, so the hem of the dress pools around my toes, for which I'm grateful. But otherwise the dress is stunning. It smells like fine perfume, it feels soft against my skin, softer than the satin of my own gown. I can't keep the blush off my cheeks as I emerge from behind the changing screen, the buttons still undone in the back. I feel so out of place within it.

"It looks just as gorgeous as I expected," she says softly, "here, turn around and I'll do it up."

I nod, turning around to a mirror against her wall and twisting my hair over one of my shoulders and out of her way.

"May I ask you something?" she asks as her nimble fingers start with the bottom buttons.

"Of course," I reply.

She hesitates though her fingers never stop their steady path. "Is... is Link... is Link courting you?"

I stop breathing, glad that her face is down as I eye myself with absolute terror in the mirror. I open my mouth, a lump in my throat forcing any words I try to say back down my throat. I shake my head though she's not watching, and force myself to say, "No."

"Oh," she says abruptly like she had expected a different response, "I just thought since you came here with him and he held your hand..."

I pause, biting my lip. Just say it. Just say it.

"We're married," I say after a moment.

Her hands stop moving.

The back of my neck gets hot.

My heart starts to thud.

"I... I um... didn't know," she mumbles.

I swallow, feeling the utmost embarrassment sting at the back of my eyes. "We didn't tell anyone... except my father, and a good friend of mine... we had a small ceremony at the ranch... he... he d-didn't want the publicity," I attempt to explain. "I'm so sorry... we should have at least told you."

"I just – you're not wearing a ring so I didn't..." she trails off, the tension in the air so thick I feel as though I'm choking.

"We couldn't afford them... I told him I didn't need one," I say, my thumb playing at my naked ring finger.

"He should have taken the money we offered him... after Ganondorf," she says with a shaky laugh.

I look down, her hands having continued up the back of the dress.

"I'm happy for you," she says, and when I catch her face in the mirror just over my shoulder, her eyes are red, but she's smiling like she means it. And although it must pain her, I know that she does mean it.

My lips twitch, wanting to give her thanks for understanding. Mostly my heart aches for her. I feel as though I've taken something very precious to her, and she's thanking me for taking it. I can't say anything though, nothing that will comfort her.

"When did you get married?" she asks, trying to carry on the conversation, but also looking genuinely interested.

"Last summer," I say, smiling as I look upon the memory with fondness.

"So the summer after he defeated Ganondorf. He knows what he wants," she says with a smirk though the red tint to her eyes hasn't faded.

I nod, "It was very quiet... nothing spectacular. I wore an old white sundress and cowboy boots, he wore a white shirt and tan pants. I held a sunflower instead of a bouquet. It's how we both wanted it."

"That sounds beautiful anyways," she says, smiling up at me as she reaches the buttons just below the base of my neck. "I sometimes wish for that," she murmurs more to herself, but then looks away quickly as if she's just disclosed the most private of secrets to me.

I offer her a ghost of a smile, looking down at my hands in shame. I didn't have to go into depth about our wedding, but I did, because it was the best day of my life. But I shouldn't have said so, because she's still waiting for that day.

She lets out a deep breath, smoothing my shoulders and meeting my eyes in the mirror. "All done. You look very beautiful, Malon," she says.

I shrug a shoulder slightly, "Thank you."

"You should keep it," she says gently.

I look down at the beautiful garment cascading down my body. "I – I would have nowhere to wear it. It's too much," I explain, flustered at the offer.

"Yes you will," she says, "because I expect to see you here when Link comes into town now."

I nod, touched by the gesture.

I change back into my mother's dress, taking the gown she'd given me in my arms like I was holding a precious, fragile treasure. She bids me goodnight and closes the door behind me though I wait, trying to gather myself in the hall just outside the door before I go back to Link. Relief is pouring through me, it touches my eyes with gentle tears, tears that won't break free from my eyes, but they're there nonetheless.

I halt suddenly though, my relief turning into absolute guilt.

My heart sinks into my stomach when I hear sobbing from the other side of the door.

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you alive?" I whisper, gently shaking his still form.<em>

_ His eyelashes flutter then, deliriously glancing back and forth as he takes in his surroundings, and then squeeze shut again. I inch myself backwards as he sits up, rubbing his neck which I'm sure is stiff. I'm relieved that he isn't dead. _

_ "What are you doing in here?" I ask._

_ He dusts hay off of his tunic and scratches his forehead, his eyes distant like he's trying to remember. "It was really late. I didn't know where else to go."_

_ "No, I mean... why are you sleeping in the barn?" I ask him, sitting down on the wooden floor as he sits up, stretching out his neck and shoulders._

_ He pauses, thinking back before he speaks. "I was at the Goron Village. There was only one of them left, Darunia's son... do you remember Darunia?"_

_ I nod, watching him intently._

_ "He named him Link," he says with proud smile that he tries to hide. "But he gave me a tunic I could wear that would protect me from the heat, protect me while I tried to save all of them."_

_ "From what?" I ask._

_ "A... a dragon... he said that a dragon had taken them all into the crater of Death Mountain. That this dragon was going to kill all of them," he explains, a distraught expression on his face._

_ My eyes widen as I listen in quiet horror._

_ "But by the time I left the village... it was almost completely dark outside, it's too dangerous to take the path to the top of Death Mountain when it's dark... so I came back here, but it was so late that you were all asleep. So I... came in here..." he trails off, leaving the rest to my imagination._

_ "You can wake me up whenever you need," I let him know, "I'll let you in."_

_ He grins slightly, "Thank you." He gets up onto his feet, picking up his sword and shield that he'd taken off to sleep. He straps it on and nods at me before heading outside._

_ "Where are you going?" I ask, rushing after him as I pick up my skirt in my hands._

_ "I have to go back," he murmurs, "I have to help them."_

_ "You should eat something," I say, desperation taking over as I reach towards him and grab him arm._

_ He stops, looking at my hand and then his eyes drifting up to my face. "I can't. I need to go."_

_ My heart drops, "You'll come back?"_

_ He nods, "Will you be waiting?"_

_ "I'm always waiting," I say, my fingers unfurling from around his forearm._

_ I watch him go, waiting in that spot for a long time. He doesn't come back that night. But I know he will. If not today, then tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after. He told me he would come back. I have to hold onto that. The summer is still here, it will last for him._

_ I find myself smiling as I work, milking the cows, brushing the horses. I even whistle. There's a song that I haven't let out since I was just a young girl, but now I feel it just behind my lips, I want to sing again but I'm scared of how it will sound. I'm close though, close to being brave enough. I haven't felt brave in years._

_ I sit under the tree after I'm done my work the next morning, the tree we would sit under during the summer as children. The summer has always been our time, our time to play in the fields, our time to meet once more seven years later. I lay in the lush grass on my stomach, my ankles crossed in the air as I write a letter to Link, just in case he's still gone by tomorrow. I never thanked him for bringing my dad back. I never thanked him for something that meant so much. I never had the chance._

_ I grin to myself knowing that my dad is just inside, probably sleeping as usual._

_ "Mal!" he suddenly calls out to me, surprising me with his presence. I love hearing the sound of his gruff voice again._

_ He's here now. He's here and it's like nothing has changed._

* * *

><p>"It's snowing."<p>

I turn and look out the window into the dark night, finding that he's right, little flecks of white tossed against the different colored glass. I welcome the snow. It's a nice change. I've had many summer nights, and while I dread the cold, I'm ready to stay inside and wait this winter out.

I am ready to face this winter by myself, and wait patiently for summer days for things to be the way they were.

"Let's go out onto the balcony," I say, reaching for his hand.

He smiles, his eyes sparkling in the dim light as he folds my fingers in both of his hands, "Your hair is going to freeze, Red."

I roll my eyes at him, pushing my hair off of forehead that is still wet from my bath, "I'll survive." He just smiles at my stubbornness, finding it nothing new. He kisses my knuckles once as we cross the room to the double doors leading out onto the balcony. "I'm going to miss that when I get back home. I mean, here if you want to take a bath, you turn a knob and the water comes straight to you."

"Are you thoroughly amazed?" he asks with a hint of sarcasm.

"My life has been forever changed," I admit as he reaches for the handle of the door and opens it, letting in the brisk evening air, snowflakes lazily whirling past us.

It is far from a blizzard outside, there are no gales of wind threatening to freeze us, it's calm... peaceful even, the snow falling at a perfect leisurely pace. It's so quiet.

"I think I'm starting to like winter," I whisper, if only to avoid disturbing the silence.

A muted pain touches his eyes as he looks down at me, the snowflakes catching in his eyelashes as he blinks, melting in his hair. "I'm beginning to hate it," he says before he releases my hand and cups my face, bringing his lips to mine.

I kiss him back eagerly, twisting my fingers into his hair, the cold drops of water that linger there seemingly burning my skin. His hands run down my arms, soothing away the goosebumps from the chilled air and continuing down to my waist, creating new goosebumps altogether. He curves an arm around me, lifting me carefully onto his own feet so that mine don't touch the cold wet ground.

I can feel his heart thudding against my chest, I can feel the urgency in his lips. But his hands are still restrained.

I want him to hold me tight.

I want him to hold me so I can remember how it feels after he leaves.

And I don't want this to be the last time, but what if it is?

I feel a sudden ache within my chest. This is real. He's leaving.

Winding my arms around his neck, I lift myself off my feet and wrap my legs around his waist, hooking my ankles together around his back. He pulls me even tighter to him, parting our lips for just a moment. But I see it in that moment. I see the sorrow in his eyes. I want it to go away, so I carefully brush my lips to both of his eyelids, trailing down his cheekbone and back to his lips with delicate kisses.

He's carrying me back inside then, kicking the door shut and locking out the cold as the heat of the low fire in the fireplace envelopes us. He walks us over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the side, still with me in his lap. I uncross my ankles, readjusting myself onto my knees as I allow my fingers to drift under the hem of his shirt. I want his skin against mine, I want him to keep me warm.

I lift up at the hem, waiting for him to decide. He lets go of me for a moment to lift his arms above his head, our faces parting while the material slides between us, but only then.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders, his squeezing me tight around my waist. He buries his face in the crook of my neck for a moment and I clench the hair on the back of his head in my fist, feeling his warmth seep into me.

"I love you," I say through a broken voice.

He leans back, pulling me down with him. "I love you, too," he whispers, hiding some of the pain within him.

_That's enough,_ I tell myself, _that will be enough._

I bring my lips back to his as the snow continues to fall outside, concealing us in the silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you guys see it coming? Did you already assume that they were married or were you as shocked as Zelda? Let me know :)<strong>


	10. The One

**Hey everybody. I'm back. I know it's been a while... a bit over two weeks? Longer than usual. Ah well. This week was pretty stressful. First competition for my cheer team AND the cheer team I coach. Whew. Also, I'm glad that everyone liked last chapter so much. A few of you said it was your favorite one. Also, about half of you were surprised by Link and Malon's hidden marriage, so I am satisfied with that statistic. **

**Thanks for all the reviews again, make me so happy.**

**This chapter is named after the song, The One by Meg & Dia. Phenomenal group.**

**FoxyMonday: Yup, you're thinking of the right story :) Glad you liked it and glad you liked Zelda. Hopefully all of your questions are answered in this chapter?**

**Renegador73095: Thanks again for your kind words! I'm so happy you're liking it so much. I agree, I didn't want to make Zelda easy to hate. I wanted there to by conflict between who you felt bad for ;)**

**dippychick16: I'm sorry! Everything will start to unfold soon. Good, I'm glad you felt bad for Zelda. Goal achieved!**

**Fae: Thanks for sticking with the story :) Yes! Glad I could change your mind however slightly about a character. You're such a great review...er? I love getting your reviews!**

**savinglifelessness: I'm so glad! Initially I had started the story at the beginning (part of that story actually makes an appearance in our flashbacks today) but I decided to take a spin on it. I'm glad it's paying off.**

**Hoenn Master: Zelda does deserve someone good, I agree! So I was too lazy to ask my friend. So let's see how accurate google translate is, yes? "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands to the praise and glory of his name to our good, of all his Church."**

**Alright, let's get this show on the road.**

* * *

><p>I lay with my head nestled into his shoulder, my elbows pulled in tight to my body with one hand resting one his chest. His heart beat has slowed down again, his breathing steady. He has one arm carefully draped around my waist, the other is mindlessly toying with a strand of his hair, his eyes far away.<p>

His fingers draw lazy patterns on my ribs, small goosebumps forming on my bare flesh from his touch, but also because the covers are only pulled up to our hips. It's one of those rare times when, despite the fact that I am as vulnerable as I'll ever be, I feel impervious to the demons.

The snow is still gently falling outside, the light changing as snowflakes flutter before the moonlight, shadows trailing down Link's body and over my arm. It's so quiet, the only sounds are the popping of the firewood. I know I should tell him what I told Zelda. I know that I should. "Link?" I ask softly.

"Yeah?" he asks me even quieter.

"I told her," I say, keeping my eyes down, following the drifting shadows on his skin.

"Who?" he whispers.

"Zelda," I murmur, "I told her that we were married."

He remains silent, his hand still tracing along my ribs. "What did she say?" he asks after a long time.

"She said she was happy for us..." I begin, unsure if I should let him know about what I heard afterward.

The silence filters back in between us. "Was she upset?" he asks again after a few moments.

I swallow, nodding against his shoulder.

Slowly, he lets go of me, pulling his arm out from beneath me and sitting up, bending his knees and resting his elbows on them as he clasps his fingers around the back of his neck. I sit up beside him, pulling the blankets up to my chest and feeling a pang of guilt again. "I'm sorry," I offer, finding it hard to speak.

"You did something I couldn't," he mumbles, "thank you."

I lean my head against his arm, trailing my fingers over his neck. "I know why you didn't want to," I say. I know it wasn't about the publicity, for her at least.

"It doesn't matter now," he whispers, his voice muffled, "I'm glad that she knows."

"Are you?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes," he murmurs, letting go of his neck and turning his head to face me, "I regret not telling her. It would have been easier if I'd told her after I proposed to you."

"Do you remember what I said to you that night?" I ask as I lean my face into his arm, pressing my lips to his shoulder.

He shakes his head.

"I asked you, why you came back... after Ganondorf. I asked you why you came back from the castle, from the Princess, why you turned away the money and kept on living with us like nothing had changed," I remind him.

He nods as if he's remembering. "I told you because none of those things I left behind included you... but I think that what I said isn't entirely true... I think I turned all of it down so that our wedding, our life, could just be about me and you. It didn't have to include the Princess, it didn't have to involve the whole country. I just wanted you out of our wedding. I wanted you while not changing anything else. And that's not possible. It's selfish."

He lays back down, his eyes on the ceiling. I take my pillow and hold it close to me as I lay on my stomach, looking up at his eyes, reflecting the dark blue within them. "I wanted that too."

He finally looks towards me, swiping the side of his hand along my cheekbone and then slipping his fingers beneath my jaw. "I'm sorry we didn't have a big wedding. I'm sorry that we couldn't buy you a big beautiful wedding dress, and I couldn't buy you a diamond ring."

"I didn't want that. I told you I didn't want that," I reply quietly, covering his hand with mine. "I don't blame you for not telling her. Because you were just trying to give me everything I wanted."

He looks unconvinced, "I wish my motives were entirely selfless..."

I inch closer to him, leaning down and brushing my lips to his ear, "Let me tell you a secret... sometimes your motives don't have to be selfless to be right."

I bring my eyes back level to his, I wonder if he sees right through me.

"Will you hold me?" I ask, gently smoothing his bangs off his forehead.

He nods, folding me back into his shoulder and cradling my head with one of his hands. "Tell me a story," he says so quietly, the low whir of his voice vibrating against my ear pressed against his skin.

I close my eyes, my smile hidden from his view. This had always been my demand, but he is leaving this time when he doesn't necessarily want to. I am the one that needs to be comforting him.

I readjust myself, finding a comfortable place for him to wrap his arms. "Okay... it's starts with a girl, and a boy, like many stories start. She is not like most children, but neither is he. And when they find each other, they are not like most friends. But that is why he never strays far, that is why she never forgets him in her prayers, and that is why after seven years apart, she falls in love with him as though not a day has gone by."

"I like this story," he interjects softly, his voice only faltering under his hushed tone.

I grin, keeping my eyes closed as my limbs start to feel heavy. "Bad things happen... they both know that bad things happen. But they find the good they wish for in each other, and so they survive the bad... they survive the bad," I murmur, fatigue slurring my words.

It's quiet for a long time, his chest rising and falling slowly beneath my cheek, both of us being lulled to sleep.

Half-unconscious, I remember something, something that pulls me abruptly back. "Link," I say louder than I need to.

He doesn't reply, I'm only greeted by his quiet breath.

"She wants to tell him something," I whisper, closing my eyes once more, finally feeling brave enough. "She wants to tell him that she loves him. That she'll love him even when he's far away. Even when she's far away."

* * *

><p>"<em>Dad?"<em>

_"Malon," he says, his voice crumbling into a sob._

_My lips are quivering, my eyebrows pulling together as I feel myself falling into his waiting arms. "I missed you so much," is all I can manage to say, feeling once more like a small child._

_He sucks in a ragged breath, crying as he pets my hair, "I'm here now, baby, I'm here."_

_"I was waiting for so long," I cry, my words garbled by tears as they spill out. All of the sorrow I'd suppressed after he left bursting through, flooding my mouth, "I didn't think you were going to come back."_

_"I'm not going anywhere now, I'm here," he repeats._

_"Don't go again, please don't go again," I plead, my voice muffled in his shoulder._

_"I've gotcha," he murmurs, "I've gotcha."_

_I pull back, his hand cupping my cheek gently. I laugh, tears still in my eyes as I gaze upon his face, the only changes evident from the years gone by are the fan of lines in the corner of his eyes, the slight wrinkles on his forehead. "You were gone so long, you seemed so far away..." I trail off._

_"I love you even when I'm far away... even when you're far away," he whispers._

_I close my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I know."_

_He nods, his lips quirking into a smile beneath his mustache. "Do you remember that boy that used to come by the ranch?"_

_My heart stutters, "Link?"_

_He nods, his eyes wide with excitement, "He found me. He told me to come back here and find you, that everything had changed."_

_I nod to confirm what he'd been told, "It wasn't Ingo that wanted you to go. It wasn't him. It was like he was sleeping and one day he just woke up."_

_He shakes his head, "I don't understand." His eyes drift upwards, past my shoulder to find something at the top of the stairs, his eyes harden. I turn to find who he's looking at, Ingo waiting at the top._

_They stare at each other for a few moments that seem forever, shifting gazes between the two of them, I wait in silence._

_Ingo finally clears his throat. "It's good to have you back," he grumbles._

_Dad's eye flash down once as he nods. Ingo turns back around to re-enter the room he'd come out of, my room at the top of the stairs where we had been eating breakfast._

_I turn back to him, smiling gently, "Where did you go?"_

_He lets out a deep breath through his nose. "I was only in Kakariko... I didn't know where else to go. I tried to write you..."_

_I shake my head, "I didn't-"_

_"Just as well, I didn't expect that Ingo would've given em' to you," he cuts me off, waving his hand. "I'm... I'm so sorry I didn't come back for you."_

_"I know he threatened you," I mutter, "I heard him yelling at you that night."_

_"He threatened me with you," he explains softly, the regret not fading from his voice._

_I nod, "I know." I always knew it wasn't his fault... though that didn't ease the sense of abandonment I fell victim to so often. I remember something suddenly, something I need to undo. "I'll be right back, okay?"_

_He smiles, "Okay, pumpkin."_

_I leave through the door we'd left open into the warm morning air, the darkness in the sky lifting somewhat. I cross the gravel path between the house and the barn and hide myself away on the other side of the barn door. I rush towards the piece of paper folded in half with Ingo's name scrawled on the front, pinned to a wooden post of one of the horse's stalls. I rip it from it's place and crumple it in my hand, discarding it within my pocket._

_I look down, glad that it's words won't ever have to be read._

_That's when I see something out of the corner of my eye, something out of place._

_I find that I'm not alone._

_Link is curled up in the corner of the barn on a low pile of hay, his mouth hanging open slightly, his eyes fallen shut. He came back after all._

_I grin in relief before a momentary fear takes over. He's so still... is he breathing?_

_I watch him closely, kneeling by his side when I'm near enough. I lay my hand on his arm. _Please be okay_, I think anxiously before I speak._

_"Are you alive?"_

* * *

><p>I wake once while it's still dark, though a lamp is lit on a table beside the bed, Link is putting his clothes on. I'm too tired to ask what time it is, I'm too tired to reach out to him or even say his name. I just watch him go quietly with exhausted curiosity before I drift off once again.<p>

The next time I wake is when the door is closing again, though this time as he returns. The light that filters through the window now is cold, blue, but it's light. The sun is up, maybe hidden behind grey clouds, but it's still there.

"Is it still snowing?" I ask quietly as he wanders over to me, sitting down on the edge if the bed.

"No... just rain. It's still cold out," he murmurs.

"Where were you?" I ask.

"Speaking with Zelda... she thought that maybe if we spoke early enough... we could leave maybe... today," he says, his voice growing quieter as he goes.

I let out a breath, my eyes falling to the white sheets. "Today..."

"I know it's soon," he says. "If we leave by noon... we can make it to our first destination by sundown. But..."

"But what?" I ask.

He slips his fingers beneath my cheek and turns my eyes towards his, "But if you say you don't want me to, I won't go."

I shake my head, "No. I understand. I knew that whenever you left it was going to be hard."

"I don't need to go, I'll tell her that I can't," he urges.

"Go... and then after you come back we can go back to a year ago and start over. I'll be better once you come back," I say as encouragingly as I can muster.

"How can I know that you'll be better?" he asks.

"You have to trust me," I whisper.

"I do, sweetheart" he says almost as quietly. He leans down and kisses my forehead, "but this is something you can't control."

"But neither can you," I point out.

He sits back up straight, turning his eyes away from me. "You're right." He bends over and draws something off of the floor with a single finger, and I recognize my nightgown that had been mindlessly left on the ground the previous night. He takes the soft folds of cotton in both of his hands, his brow furrowing as he gazes down at the cream fabric. "Here," he murmurs, turning his upper body towards me.

I sit up, still clutching the covers close to me as his fingers search out the hole for my neck. He gently slips the dress over my head and pulls it down my body as I let go of the sheets, the nightgown taking their place. It's cold from laying on the ground.

"Zelda wanted to talk to you," he says, his voice just above a whisper, "whenever you're ready."

"'Bout what?" I ask.

He narrows his eyes as if in deep thought, then he rolls on top of me, grinning down upon my face. "Probably about your banishment from her kingdom, I'd expect," he jokes, "or perhaps the fact that she decided she wants her gown back."

I smile, his easy humor holding my soul up above the dark clouds, "Good thing you told me. Now I'll be prepared."

"She's just in her office," he says with a forced half-grin, "one of the maids will take you down there."

I nod. "Kiss me in case I don't come back," I joke lightly.

He smiles, craning his neck to touch his lips to mine. Something about the fact that he did worries me.

* * *

><p>"<em>He'll come back."<em>

_I jump, whirling around to see a figure hiding beneath the shadows of evening. I squint, trying to make out a face, unsure if they are a man or a woman. "Who are you?" I ask uncertainly._

_They step forward, a tall lean man appearing under the light spilling from my window upstairs. He is cloaked in tight blue clothing, a white scarf draped around his face so that all I can see are his eyes, bright and crimson, they match the one on his chest that has a teardrop spilling from it. "My name is Sheik," he says. His voice sounds younger than he looks._

_"What are you doing here?" I ask, my heart thudding as I assume he is one of Ganondorf's followers, perhaps carrying out what Ganondorf didn't the last time he was here._

_"I'm here to tell you that I've been watching the Hero. That I will watch out for him. He'll come back," the boy, Sheik, repeats._

_"You'll make sure he isn't hurt?" I ask, my palms sweating as I ring them together._

_He nods once. "He's on his way to the Fire Temple, he will return once he's completed his duty there. Until then you needn't worry."_

_I look towards my feet. I'm trying very hard to stitch together Sheik's words and Link's parting words to me. Trying to make sense of it all. He must be doing it after all, he's saving us._

_"Thank y-" I begin to say, returning my eyes to Sheik, but he isn't in front of me. I whirl around, but I'm alone again. He's disappeared. Silently, I go back into the house finding my bed, but not finding sleep until the early hours of the morning._

* * *

><p>"<em>Why aren't you eating?" Ingo asks me hoarsely, his mouth half-full with oatmeal.<em>

_"I'm not hungry," I reply quietly._

_"If this is about your father-" he begins._

_"It's not about my father," I interject._

_"Because I'm going to get him back as soon as I can," he assures me._

_I nod, remaining silent as I stare down._

_"Where's that boy?" he asks,_

_"He left... said he had things to do," I tell him though my voice sounds hollow._

_"Hmm," he murmurs indifferently._

_"I think I'll start my work early, if that's-" I start to say but am interrupted by a knock on the door. Is he back already? Was Sheik right? I look down my shoulder, waiting until I hear the knock again to make sure I'd actually heard anything at all. "I'll get that," I say, standing up and leaving Ingo alone at the table._

_My heartbeat starts to pick up in pace as my feet carry me down the stairs, a grin already spreading upon my lips. I reach for the doorknob, my palm sweating as I take a deep breath before swinging it open._

_But who is on the other side isn't who I was expecting._

_But at the same time, this person is just as perfect, if not more so._

_"Dad?"_

* * *

><p>"Malon, I'm glad you came," Zelda says warmly, gesturing for me to sit down.<p>

"Thank you," I say quietly, sitting down in the chair on the other side of her desk.

"I... I suppose the reason I... I wanted to talk to you was so that... you could maybe, I don't know, have more of a say," she begins, fumbling over her words.

I wait patiently in silence, my hands folded tightly in my lap.

She bites her lip and shakes her head, "You see, I wouldn't have taken Link from you so often... if I had known... I feel terrible, I really do."

I shake my head just as quickly as her words spill from her mouth, "No, I understand why you wanted him to come-"

"But he didn't _need_ to. I have no right to take a man away from his wife," she says, her eyes pleading with me to understand.

I look down, my eyes burning as I hush any words of argument in my throat. I want to say them because I feel guilty. I feel guilty that she lost one of the people most important to her because of me.

"So I'm going to ask you, and I will respect any decision you make. I'm going to ask you now if you want him to stay. If you say yes, then he will go back home with you, and I will respect your wishes. But if you say no, then we'll leave today. The choice is yours... and yours entirely," she finishes.

I look up, finally meeting her eyes, earnest and true. "I need him to go with you," I say without hesitation.

She narrows her eyes briefly. "I must be honest with you, that wasn't the answer I was expecting."

"I know," I say.

"But... why?" she asks hesitantly, confusion distorting her usually composed features.

I look down at my hands, "Do I want him to go away for so long? No. Do I want to turn around and go back home alone? No. But do I need him to go... yes, I do."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," she says, still unable to follow me, though I don't exactly blame her. My reasons for wanting this haven't been spoken of to anyone, they've sat inside my head, keeping quiet.

Instead of answering her directly, I give her a gentle smile, "You are very kind, Princess. Far kinder than I had expected of you."

She purses her lips. "I spent seven years in hiding, trying to be a hero... mind you, not a hero like Link was, but something I could be to help. Those seven years were supposed to be spent learning how to speak, learning how to stand, to sit, to look, to eat, to ask questions, to answer them... my being kind is a weakness, or so they tell me."

I frown for less than a second and reach my hand gingerly out to hers resting on the desk. I lightly touch my fingers to the back of her hand, trying to reassure her of my words. "Kindness isn't a weakness. And I appreciate your kindness greatly," I say softly, pulling my hand back quickly.

She leaves her hand where it was though her arm tenses, her eyes glazing over for just a moment before she closes her eyes, squeezing them shut for a second as she clenches her hand into a fist. "I – I'm sorry," she says, seemingly shaken up.

I remain quiet, waiting apprehensively.

"I just... it was like I saw something... but it was too quick to make anything of," she says softly, her eyes down.

"Was it bad?" I ask, a feeling of worry twisting in the pit of my stomach, worry for Link.

She looks up finally, her eyes softening as a relieved smile turns her lips just barely up, "Oh, no. No, it was nothing to worry about. Sometimes I just see images... flickers of something I don't know."

"What did you see?" I ask.

A knock on the door presses the answer on Zelda's lips back within her mouth. She calls for them to enter, and soon after a guard pokes through the door. "Highness," he regards her stoically, "shall we prepare the carriage?"

Zelda glances from the man at the door to me, asking me if this is really what I want with her eyes. I just offer a small smile. Her lips seal into a tight line as if she doesn't want to go along with my desires, as if she wants to disregard them. She nods in approval to the guard.

"I'm sorry," she says again, still seemingly at war over my decision.

"I asked you to," I say.

"No, not only for this... I'm sorry for taking him away so many times before," she admits.

"You didn't know, you couldn't have known," I offer, feeling weak as I try to fight her, the guilt on her tongue.

"I think in the back of my mind I always did know, though," she begins quietly, "I... I saw you that day. I had come to tell Link something, I saw him kiss you. It was silly of me... but I thought since so long had passed since then, and he hadn't mentioned anything happening between the two of you, I told myself that nothing happened, but only because I didn't want anything to have happened." She covers her mouth with her fingers then, as if she's said too much.

I purse my lips, feeling slightly uncomfortable with her confession. "I know," I say, the only way I feel I can answer. "But believe me when I say that he didn't keep it from you to keep you in the dark."

"He did it because he wanted to protect my feelings... I know. I know it wasn't because he thought I'd betray his trust," she says. So she's figured it out, too. "Regardless... I should ready myself for the day... He'll come back, I promise you that."

I smile, the words sounding familiar from her mouth. "I know."

"If there's anything you need, please let me know."

I nod, biting my lip before I say, "Actually, I need to ask you something."

* * *

><p>"<em>Where are you going?" I ask. <em>

_His eyes shift down, "I have... things to do."_

_"You're sick. You can't go yet," I argue, desperate for him to stay._

_He glances up at me for less than a second and then back at his feet, "You're Malon... aren't you?"_

_"Yeah, it's me," I say softly, glad that he remembers._

_"You look different... but the same," he murmurs._

_I feel my lips twitch, I want to say anything that'll keep him here for just a moment longer. I just need to know that he's real so that after he leaves I won't have to second guess myself. "How so?"_

_His eyes soften somewhat, "You're taller." I almost laugh softly, though I'm glad I don't as he continues, "your eyes... they're sad."_

_My smile fades, my eyes mimicking his observation. "A lot has happened."_

_A crease appears between his eyebrows, "How... how long has it been?"_

_"Seven years."_

_He looks straight ahead, towards the entrance of the ranch though his eyes look lost somewhere far past, a ghost flitting through them. He swallows once, his adam's apple bobbing, "It doesn't feel like seven years."_

_"I know," I whisper._

_"I came here yesterday before I went to the forest," he says as if just remembering, "I didn't see you."_

_The forest? Of course, that's where he lived when we were small... though the last I heard, the forest was overrun with monsters. Maybe... maybe he's doing what he said he was going to, so many years ago. "I was working," I tell him, "but I heard you play the song."_

_"Where's your father? I saw Mr. Ingo... he was acting strange..." he mutters._

_A cold pang like a sharp needle punctures my chest, an aching to know the answer to his question. I shrug my shoulders, looking down as I cross my arms in the hope that he won't see everything on my face. "He's alright now," I say, purposely avoiding having to address my father, "After you took Epona it was like he woke up, like he was dreaming. I think Lord Ganondorf did something-"_

_"Don't call him that," Link interrupts._

_I'm startled by his abruptness. "What...?"_

_"Don't call him Lord Ganondorf... he doesn't deserve that title," he says, finally meeting my eyes for more than a fleeting second._

_I nod once. He looks so forlorn, so empty. I want to hold him and tell him that things will be alright. Mostly I want to know where he's been but I don't want to have to ask._

_"Thank you for taking care of me," he says so gently I can barely hear, "I made you something a long time ago... I never gave it to you." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a a small wooden pendant hanging on a frail chain. I take a step closer and he lets it pool in my palm. The pendant is a carving of a song bird, a song bird just like he used to call me._

_I smile softly, the bird in my palm becoming foggy behind a window of gentle tears. "I'm glad I could see you again," I say, "I thought for a long time that you... that you had died. When I saw the smoke from Castle Town..."_

_"I'm sorry I didn't come back," he says, not meeting my eyes. "I told you I would."_

_He climbs onto Epona's back then, glancing at me once before lifting his face to the horizon, ready to depart once more for who knows how long. I lurch forward, my hand flying out as if I want to catch him and hold him back. "Wait!" I call._

_He pulls up on Epona's reigns, staying her while he turns around back to me. I stumble forward and try to steady myself as I look up at him._

_"Will you come back this time?" I ask, my voice weak._

_He watches me for only a moment before he nods. "Of course I will."_

_A tear falls from my eye, but he's turned already so that he doesn't see it. I watch with my hands folded at my heart as he turns the corner, leaving me alone once more. I can only hope that this time he will come back for me, that I won't have to wait seven years again._

_He doesn't come back the next morning, he doesn't come back at night either, and it doesn't do me any good that I spend most of the evening staring out the window past my reflection waiting for him, the pendant held tightly in my fist. He doesn't show though, not as the last of my candle glimmers off the glistening streaks of water on my face, not when I'm laying in my bed waiting for the sound of hooves._

_I can't do this any more. I want my Daddy, I want my friend. I want everything as it once was. _

_I quickly scribble a note to Ingo, explaining to him that I have to find my Dad, explaining that I will even if he won't. Just like Link once did, I'm going to do something when I feel I have to. I creep from the warmth of my bed and down into the barn, pinning the paper to a post, knowing that he'll find it there. I'll wait until tomorrow, and though I wouldn't admit it out loud, I only want to wait because I'm afraid of what is on the other side of the Lon Lon Ranch gates._

_I wait outside our front door for a long time, believing wholeheartedly that if I close my eyes and listen close enough, I'll be able to hear the bated breath of Epona as she carries him back._

_I try not to raise my hopes, but there is this nagging need for him to be here. For me to know that he's safe._

_"He'll come back," a voice says suddenly._

_Startled, I jump to find the source of the voice. I can't see in the dark who they are, or even if they're a man or a woman, but this stranger has given me something, just a glimmer in the distance to hold onto._

_I know that _he_ is the one this stranger speaks of, that Link will come back. I hold onto those words until I find my voice, and then even after that._

* * *

><p>"You write me, alright?" he asks me, holding my body close to his. I can't feel his heart beneath all of his thick clothing. I wish I could. "If anything happens, <em>anything<em>, you tell me immediately and I'll be home."

"Okay, I will," I murmur into his shirt, closing my eyes and breathing in his smell, trying to hold onto it for those nights after the smell of his hair has faded from his pillow. I know that it won't last long. I pray it will still be there when I get back home. "Hey, do you remember a long time ago, you wrote me a note about the rock beneath the floorboards?"

His chest rises against my cheek, a simple laugh. "This was after I kissed you," he says.

I nod, "That letter has always meant a lot to me... but now it means even more, after everything's that happened to us over the past year, it means so much. So I wrote you something back, just something small... but then maybe you can remember it when we're apart."

He rests his hands on my upper arms as I step back, reaching into my pocket and taking out a folded piece of paper. I settle into his breast pocket and smooth it over with my fingers as he gazes down at me. He covers my hand with his own, his other hand drifting up my arm and his fingers slipping beneath my sleeve. "Is it still there? The rock?" he asks me.

I smile, "I think so, unless someone moved it. But you and I are the only ones who know about it."

"That little rock was such a big deal when we were small, it seemed like such a big secret," he murmurs with a vague smile.

"It was," I agree, "when we were small."

He pulls me back in, pressing his lips to the corner of my eye. "You won't forget about me... right?" he asks, only the faintest hint of joking in his voice, the rest is dominated by reluctance, hesitancy, minute pain.

"I haven't yet," I remind him, "I won't ever."

"Right," he mutters, like he's afraid to believe me.

"I won't. Just be safe... please," I murmur against him.

"I will be," he says just as softly, "Zelda says we'll most likely stop back through on our way around... so as soon as I can be, I'll be home... okay?"

"Alright. I'll be there," I say quietly.

"Be careful on the way home, okay? Stick to the road, ride hard," he says, taking my face in his hands and piercing my eyes with his. My heart contracts as I look up at him, the grey blue swirling like a dark storm. They look so different when he's anxious – it's the difference between the sky when it rains, and the sky when it bears thunder and lightning. "I know you think it's faster to not take the road, but don't stray far from it," he continues, an unsure grin touching his lips.

"I'll be careful," I assure him, touching my finger to his chin, "don't worry."

"I don't worry about you getting hurt, I just worry about being apart from you," he says, echoing my words before he left to come here the last time.

"I love you so much," I say, winding my arms around his neck.

"We'll be fine... right?" he asks.

"Right," I whisper, trying to hide the longing in my voice.

"I love you, too," he says, his voice just above a whisper. He doesn't say goodbye, and neither will I.

* * *

><p>"<em>Will Dad come back now?" I ask.<em>

_Ingo glances up at me for a brief moment and then back down. "Malon..." he begins with hesitation, "I... I don't know where your father is... when I sent him away, he didn't say where he was going... so I don't know how to find him."_

_The smile quickly fades, tears of sorrow filling my eyes now. "What?" I ask in disbelief._

_"I'm going to do my best, Malon," he attempts._

_I stand up quickly, shielding my open mouth with the back of my hand, trying to keep the angry sobs inside. I exit the room as quickly as possible, nearly tripping down the stairs and out the door into the cool night. I stand with my back against the door, my face towards the murky black sky, and with the safety of a wall between Ingo and myself, I cry, praying for my dad to come back to me._

_I'm quickly shaken from my reverie though as I hear the clipped step of hooves against the ground, coming up into the ranch. I squint in the darkness and see that Epona has returned, panting as though she's just run full out for some time. But she's not alone, there's a figure on her back._

_I take a step towards them, the person slumped forward though he's still conscious. He looks up wearily and meets my gaze for just a moment, but it's enough._

_The blue eyes, the gold hair, the shimmering ball of winged light that accompanies him. Those same silly clothes from all those years ago. For a second I question myself, but it must be him... his face is still so much the same. He is one of the few people who stayed with me even after I didn't see them anymore._

_"...Fairy Boy?" I ask hesitantly, my eyes wide._

_His eyes roll back and close, his head lolls to the side, carrying his body with it as he collapses off of Epona's back and onto the ground. Epona whinnies desperately, shaking her white mane as she skitters away from him. I suck in a sharp breath and hurry towards them, placing a calm, steady hand on her face that immediately mellows her, and crouch beside him, face down on the ground._

_I roll him over and see his face clearly for the first time, the soft cheeks he used to have hardened into sharp cheekbones, the full lips parted slightly in unconsciousness, his soft hair grown out so that it falls in front of his eyes. I slip my hands beneath his arms and start towing him towards the house, kicking on the door until Ingo comes down and opens it._

_"Who is that?" he asks, his voice rising in volume in shock._

_"It's Link, that boy who used to come here when he was young," I say, directing him to take the upper half of his body while I attend to his feet as we haul him upstairs._

_"He's the guy that took Epona," he says, pushing open the upstairs door with his foot._

_"That's why she trusted him, he knew the song," I say, heaving him onto my bed._

_"What happened to him?" Ingo asks, taking a step back._

_I place a hand on his forehead and find it burning, he's coming to, but he's shaking violently, his teeth chattering together as he shivers. "I'm not sure... he has a fever. Get a bowl of cool water and a cloth," I command him._

_"Sure," he says, rushing back downstairs._

_"Link..." I mumble, quickly searching his body for any signs of wounds, and though there are a few bruises and minor cuts, he seems unharmed. "Link," I repeat, holding his face in my hands and sweeping the damp hair off his forehead, "Link, can you hear me?"_

_His eyelashes flutter as he tries to open his eyes though all I can see are the whites. He's trembling in my hands, his breath rushing in and out. He's shivering so hard that he can't speak._

_Ingo returns then, walking so quickly that he sloshes some of the water out of the bowl. I pull a chair from the table over to the bed and hold the bowl in my lap, dabbing the cold cloth on his face and neck. He flinches away from me but the tense lines on his forehead smooth slightly as I proceed, his eyes showing some signs of the strain being released._

_"What do you think is wrong with him?" Ingo asks, watching carefully._

_"Well, he could have an infection though I don't see any serious wounds, it could be a virus, but from what I can tell, he's got some serious heat exhaustion and fatigue.. See, his lips are cracked and dry, his skin is red and hot, his muscles are tensed... we need to get him some food and water," I say._

_"Right," Ingo says, "like what?"_

_"Anything, bread, cheese, whatever you can find," I say with a hint of impatience._

_"Of course, I'll be right back," he says, rushing back out._

_I continue to mop his forehead with the cloth, trying to murmur soothing words to him. After a few moments my mind starts to kick back in, trying to think of ways I learned to treat heat stroke. I take off his hat, green tunic and boots, and loosen the ties his undershirt have around his neck, having little help from him and try to dampen his neck and chest with the cloth. He coughs out a pained whimper, trying to search for my face with glazed over eyes._

_"Link," I say firmly, putting my hands on his face and directing his eyes to me, "Link, look at me."_

_His eyes soften for a brief moment when they meet with mine, and for just a second I see the little boy that used to come here and play with Epona and me. My heart catches in my throat as I watch him, a cold sweat forming on the back of my neck._

_Ingo bursts back through the door then with a jug in one hand, a glass tucked under his arm, and a platter with bread and fruit on it. I stand up to meet him and settle the things on my bedside table, pouring him a glass of water before sitting on the bed, trying to prop up his head._

_"Here," I murmur, "drink this."_

_He opens his lips as I press the glass to them, gently allowing a thin stream of water to flood his mouth. He swallows what he can though he chokes and ends up sputtering up the rest. It's no use, he can't even hold up his own neck._

_That's when I decide to take matters into my own hands. I will not watch one of the only friends I ever had die, especially not when I thought I'd lost him all these years and now he's right here. I climb onto the bed behind him, lifting his upper body so that his back rests against my chest. Now that he's elevated enough, I take the glass in my hand again and put it back against his mouth. It's easier for him now, and after a while the glass is empty. I refill it, intent on filling his body with as much water as possible._

_"Here, Link. Do you think you can eat something?" I ask gently. I reach across to the beside table and take a piece of melon that Ingo had cut up. I place it on his lips before he envelopes it into his mouth, his tongue touching the tips of my fingers. For some reason I feel a hot blush on my cheeks, only made worse by the fact that I realize Ingo's unchanged presence since he last entered, watching us with his hands in front of him, wringing them together._

_"I think he'll be okay," I whisper to him._

_Ingo nods and then motions his chin towards the door, asking permission to go. I nod once and he's gone. I finish feeding the pieces of melon and small sections of bread to him before returning to my spot beside him on the bed, continually bathing his body with cool water._

_My eyes start to grow weary, threatening to close on me. I settle my hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the pulse grow steadily slower, not rapidly like it was before, and close my eyes, just for a moment. But sleep overcomes me, my other arm making a pillow for my face, and soon I'm with Link in unconsciousness._

_It's hot when I awaken, warm light coming through the windows. I blink a few times, sitting up with stiff muscles and a sore neck to find the bed I rest my head on empty. My heart sinks remarkably when I realize that he's gone, though the impression in the bed left by his body is still warm._

_I lift myself onto my feet and rush to look out the window where I find a familiar clothed boy leading Epona to the entrance of the ranch just below, the sun still fairly low in the sky, the morning still early. I rush down the stairs, past Ingo sleeping against the boxes downstairs, and throw open the door, startling him into turning towards me. I won't watch him go again. I won't._

_"Where are you going?"_

* * *

><p>I ride hard just like he'd told me to.<p>

I ride hard until I can see the ranch.

I let my horse slow into a trot, and then stop all together.

I breathe deeply, looking back at the castle, knowing that he isn't there any longer. Then my eyes drift towards the ranch. I know he isn't there either. For a moment, I realize what I've done, I've sent him away, the man that I love more than anything. I've sent him away so he won't have to see me suffer. But in doing so, I've chosen to suffer alone, without the man that I love more than anything.

The realization hits me hard.

Before I can think to stop myself, a sob bursts from my chest. How am I supposed to do this alone? Maybe I was wrong to let him go. Link, what have I done? I cover my mouth with my hands, feeling the demons flocking around me, even in the light of day.

It's too late to change my mind, it's too late to find someone to hold my hand... even when I desperately need it.

Even when I'm staring into Death's eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>What does that mean? Well, you might just have to review to find out :)<strong>

**Second thing. If you want to find out what Malon wrote to Link, the answer is on a picture I recently added to the blog. It's not huge or life changing or a spoiler, but if you're curious, check out the picture I recently colored in that I drew of the two of them. Her reply is on it. Also, I colored a picture I drew of Zelda and put it up too, so check that one out as well :) leavenodoubt1432 dot tumblr dot com**


	11. Into Dust

**Hey guys, I'm back. Soooo yeah. Basically, I made an epic realization recently.**

**Love is amazing. No, I am not in love, I am not romantically involved with anyone at the moment. But just seeing people love one another and the amazing things that can be accomplished through it, I am a strong believer in love. I was that awkward kid that when the inspirational speaker came to my school to speak, and asked people to put their hands up if money was what they wanted out of their life, or love, I put my hand up for love. I was one of few.**

**Anyways, that aside, I hope you're satisfied with today's writings. I hastily put it up here and didn't have an opportunity to read it through again (which will probably happen sometime tomorrow) so people that are reading it before that time happens, please excuse any minor errors.**

**This chapter is named after the song: Into Dust by Mazzy Star.. Yes, that one from the Gears of War commercial.**

**We're nearing the end! Hope you enjoy.**

**savinglifelessness: fear no more dear friend. Read on and your questions shall be answered... or at least some of them.**

**Hoenn Master: You my friend often have interesting theories. I do believe you should get an account and discuss said ideas with me.**

**Joseph Kuo: NOOOOO! Typical! That is the devil word to me. I mean, I'm glad you found it enjoyable, but that word is like a cuss word! Sadness D: But in other words, thank you!**

**Renegader73095: Thanks again! The Hoenn Master translated in the review section if you're interested.**

**FoxyMonday: I agree, what a selfish B-! JK. But yeah, I agree with you, but it's important for the plot, so Malon will just have to continue with her awful ideas. Thanks again!**

**Fae: Link was totally rushed, but I think if he stayed any longer he would have found a way to get out of going. He just needed to up and leave. Thanks again for your kind words :D And I totally tried to write faster when you wrote that second review. TRUTH.**

**Synea: We shall see if your theories are correct! Thanks for the review :)**

**Lots o' reviews... thanks guys! :D**

* * *

><p><em>It was seven years ago today... yes, exactly seven years.<em>

_ It's been two years and forty-eight days since Dad left._

_ It's been five hours and twenty-seven minutes since I woke up to a day that has been the same as every day before it for the past two years and forty-eight days. I hope every day that it will change. But for seven hundred, seventy-eight days, I've been let down. I've already gotten used to the disappointment that the five years previous to that had left._

_ I grew up in a world that instilled a fear of the dark in me, one that kept me from walking alone, but there was a little boy I met once that I thought would change that._

_ He never had the chance. He told me he was going to the castle that night. And then Lord Ganondorf attacked, and he never came back._

_ I cried a lot the day he didn't return, trying to ignore the fact that they were burying bodies at Kakariko, trying to hide myself from the tormenting thoughts of the redeads that the people left behind were subject to. I'd rather he be dead than be one of them._

_ I have stayed up many nights with a sick feeling in my stomach as I wonder about how he died, just a boy, less than a year older than me, killed in the midst of a riot. I wonder what he would have looked like now, with that silly hat and those funny clothes. I have to let out a humorless laugh to imagine him wearing the same clothes he did as a child. I miss him so much, I even miss his funny clothes._

_ Ingo doesn't trust me with the horses anymore, doesn't trust me around Ganondorf's representatives that come to the ranch. Doesn't trust me with anything but milking cows and cleaning floors. So this is how I spend my days, I fear it will be this way until I die._

_ I'm tending to them when I hear a very familiar three note tune. One that I used to sing daily, one that I haven't sung in almost seven years. It's a simple melody my mother used to sing, though now I hear it clear and crisp, like it's coming from a flute or something of the sort._

_ Dropping the broom I carry, I make my way to the windows high on the walls, hiking my skirt up to climb on a wooden post of a stall to peer outside. Confusion furrows my brow immediately when I see that someone is outside in the corral riding Epona. _

_ Epona is my horse, she doesn't take to strangers well, and she hasn't let anyone ride her since Ingo took ownership of the ranch. And yet there's a man riding her, taking her on jumps, like she's been his horse since she was born. He directs Epona over to Ingo and they talk briefly, before Ingo mounts his own horse and they race around the outside of the corral, Ingo no doubt making some ridiculous deal to try and fool some poor man into giving him money._

_ I can't see that man very well from where I am. He looks so familiar._

_ But I don't let myself hope, I just watch with fascination._

_ The faceless man wins and Ingo doesn't look pleased afterward, I can hear his shrill cry of anger as he yells at the man, words I can't make out amidst the furious babble. He shuts the man and Epona in the corral, slamming the gate he'd installed at the entrance shut. I'm startled into falling from my spot, and though I try to clamor back to my feet, the door opens before I have the chance, a steaming Ingo waiting in the entrance. He marches toward me and clasps a hand around my throat, yanking me off the floor. _

_ "You taught him how to tame the horse didn't you?" he spits in my face._

_ I gasp for air, gripping his wrist in my hands as I try to pull myself free. He squeezes tighter, his eyes, the pupil almost completely dilated, piercing me._

_ "That horse was for Lord Ganondorf, you daft whore!"_

_ He drops me to the floor then and I suck in a deep breath. He kicks up some dust in my face, disorienting me until I hear the slam of the door and the click of the lock. I crawl towards the door, trying to turn the knob and coughing erratically though it doesn't twist easily in my palm. I bunch my hand into a fist and pound on the solid wood. "Ingo! Let me out!" I cry, my voice raw and tears gathering in my eyes. "Ingo!"_

_ I give up shortly, hopelessly praying for him to open the door and release me though I know that it won't happen until I'm needed... most likely until morning. The dust in my eyes makes them sting, when I'm finally able to close them and try to sleep, they're burning and swollen._

_ The door is wide open the following morning, and I'm sure Ingo is waiting impatiently inside, waiting on breakfast. I pull myself onto shaking legs and cross the pathway into the house, holding my breath in anticipation of the rage I'm bound to receive. The worst part is that if he tries to hurt me, I can't even scream, my throat is so swollen, and it would be pointless anyway, no one will come to save me._

_ Ingo is facing away from me however, sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Unsure of what to do in the uncomfortable situation, I close the door loudly, hoping it'll snap him out, make my presence known while I'm at least at a distance._

_ "Malon...?" he asks quietly._

_ "Yes?" I ask, my voice trembling._

_ "...Go back to work," he says with a gruff voice, still refusing to meet my eyes._

_ "Yes, Sir," I reply, exiting quickly, surprised and to a point relieved that he'd dismissed me so suddenly._

_ My heart starts to pick up in pace as my mind trails back to yesterday, the mysterious man riding Epona who had been seemingly locked in the corral. I walk slowly as if I'm afraid to make any noise, to the closed gate that prevents me from meeting with all of the other horses and clasp my hands around the bars, searching for the red horse amongst the others. _

_ But she's gone._

_ Surely I would have known if they'd escaped because they would have ridden right past the barn. Nevertheless, he and Epona are nowhere to be found. With a mystery tugging at the back of my mind, I go about my routine, feeding the cows, milking them, cleaning up after them. Though, there seems to be some peace as I do my chores, like I'm not constantly worrying that Mr. Ingo will be there when I turn around._

_ Even the cows seem at ease today, not agitated like they usually are when he's around. The dark cloud over Castle Town has seemed to lift slightly. _

_ When I go back into the house that night to fix dinner, Mr. Ingo is still sitting at the table, a painful knot ties in my stomach and I realize that some concern for him is surfacing, the kind of concern I would have for him when I was small, when he was like an uncle to me. I walk closer to him this time, feeling confident in my steps and as I lay a delicate hand on his shoulder._

_ "Mr. Ingo...?" I ask cautiously, "Is something the matter?"_

_ He jerks his head to the side to look at my hand and as a reflex I pull it back. He slowly looks down again and clears his throat. "Sit down, Malon."_

_ I swallow, my palms starting to sweat and sit across from him._

_ "Malon... I feel... uneasy," he begins, his face screwing up into a distorted frown._

_ "Are you ill?" I ask quietly._

_ "No... I feel as though I've just woken up from a bad dream... though, I know it was all real," he explains slowly._

_ "What do you mean?" I pry._

_ "Well... Lord Ganondorf came yesterday... for Epona. But that boy had taken her, escaped with her. I thought he would kill me for it... I thought he did. He was angry, shot something that felt like lightning at me... knocked me out... But when I woke up this morning, it was like something that had a tight grip on my heart was gone, and I realized everything I did to you," he says gently, not meeting my eyes._

_ My chin starts to tremble as the backs of my eyes start to sting, I try not to get my hopes up that he's about to apologize._

_ "And I realized how terrible I was... but it seemed like when I was doing those things to you... that I didn't have control over it. Like I knew it was wrong but I couldn't... stop myself," he says with a look of clear mortification on his face._

_ I nod and a tear falls from my eye and lands on my wrist, my hands folded tightly in my lap._

_ "And I realized what I did to your father... and I'm just... I'm so sorry," he says, his voice hoarse and he tries to hold back emotion._

_ I swallow, a faint smile turning my lips up, a foreign feeling now. "Will Dad come back now?" I ask._

_ He glances up at me for a brief moment and then back down. "Malon..." he begins with hesitation, "I... I don't know where your father is... when I sent him away, he didn't say where he was going... so I don't know how to find him."_

_ The smile quickly fades, tears of sorrow filling my eyes now. "What?" I ask in disbelief._

_ "I'm going to do my best, Malon," he attempts._

_ I stand up quickly, shielding my open mouth with the back of my hand, trying to keep the angry sobs inside. I exit the room as quickly as possible, nearly tripping down the stairs and out the door into the cool night. I stand with my back against the door, with the safety of a wall between Ingo and myself, I cry, praying for my dad to come back to me._

_ I'm quickly shaken from my reverie though as I hear the clipped step of hooves against the ground, coming up into the ranch. I squint in the darkness and see that Epona has returned, panting as though she's just run full out for some time. But she's not alone, there's a figure on her back._

_ I take a step towards them, the person slumped forward though he's still conscious. He looks up wearily and meets my gaze for just a moment, but it's enough._

_ "...Fairy Boy?"_

* * *

><p>What I miss most is someone to talk to... about everything.<p>

But that's not the only thing I miss.

A warm body next to mine as I sleep, a gentle hand that subconsciously finds mine, clear eyes that catch mine over dinner. His words to hold onto.

I read the letter he left behind under his pillow for me every night. I read it every night for two weeks before I finally receive word from him. It's the warmest I've felt since he's left, holding the envelope in my hands, quivering with excitement. I sit back on my bed, sliding my thumb under the flap and ripping it past the wax seal. I slip the piece of paper out and unfold it, smoothing back the creases, holding it closer to my face.

_Malon,_

_I wanted to say thank you. I don't think I've ever told you thank you for marrying me. I know I'm broken. You fixed me up on the outside but I know there's parts of me inside that won't ever work right. And I know that girls like you don't dream of holding someone broken like me, but that's why I want to thank you. Because you do, because you don't try to fix me._

_ I feel alone sometimes here, even when I feel people watching me. But then I think about seeing you soon, and I don't feel that way anymore._

_ And I want to thank you for making me do this. _

_ I wish you were here. I found something for you here at the market in Fartide. I remember you used to wear one just like it every day until we were married. You said you lost it so I hope this one will do. _

_ Know that I'm always thinking of you._

_ Love you always,_

_ Link_

I grin, tears of wanting but also of utter bliss touching my eye as I imagine his voice. It hurts to know what he's talking about. After Ganondorf... if was like something inside him just snapped but the only way I could see it was through his eyes. Even after his wounds had healed, there was still a piece of him that I couldn't fix. But I know I'm the same way, that unless one is looking hard enough, they'll overlook that broken piece of me. I take the envelope back in my hand, the small lump at the bottom making sense as I pull out the item he'd bought me.

It's a broach, almost identical to the one I'd had since I was only small, the one I wore to keep my scarf around my neck. After our wedding, it had gone missing, and I have yet to find it. But I swear this one is the same save for it being less worn. I had picked mine out at a stall during the fair in Castle Town one year, though I don't understand why I was so in love with the thing. Now, stripping all emotional attachment, it seems a silly little bauble. But Dad had promised me one present, and it was what I had chosen. And now I can't help but adore it.

I wish I had something I could send him back. More than just words. I wish paper could carry a song.

But wait. What about his old ocarina? He'd given his back to Zelda... but there was one he'd used when we were just young, one his friend Saria had given him. I wonder what he did with it?

I set the letter and broach down on the bed, standing up to look in our dresser. I open his drawer and carefully sort through his minimal belongings. There are just a few things in here besides his clothes, his goron bracelet one of them. I've never seen the ocarina in here, and I don't see it now. I sit back on the bed, my brow furrowed as I think about where it might be. Maybe he gave it back to Saria... or maybe... maybe he left it at his home once he'd been given the Ocarina of Time.

I pull out a sheet of paper at my vanity and write back to him. I'll find his ocarina as soon as I can, but for now I'll let him know I'm thinking of him.

_Link,_

_I can't help it, I love the broken ones, the ones who need the most patching up. The ones who've never been loved, or never been loved enough._

_ Maybe I see a part of me in them, I don't know, the missing piece always trying to fit in, with a broken heart and looking for a home._

_ Your home is here with me, but I'm still with you even now. Look at the stars and think of me, and when I look back, I'll be thinking of you. No, you're not alone._

I press my first three fingers to my lips and then touch them to the paper. "I love you," I say softly.

"Malon."

I jump, turning around to find my dad leaning in the doorway. "You scared me," I say, placing my hand gently over my heart, "what is it?"

"I was just wondering if you were coming down for dinner," he says, shrugging apologetically.

I nod, speaking quietly in response. "Yeah."

He raps his knuckles against door frame and then grasps the doorknob in his hand, "Alright, it's ready whenever you are."

"Okay," I say again, waiting for him to leave to fold the letter and tuck it inside of an envelope. I take my yellow scarf out from the back of my drawer and take the broach from the bed, sweeping the worn cloth around my neck and securing it with the smooth piece of brass.

I grin at myself in the mirror, my fingers lingering on the broach.

I lurch forward suddenly, a cough seizing my hand away from the gift against my sternum. I cough into my hand, trying to catch a breath.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the aching feeling in my lungs to subside, and sighing in relief when it does. I drop my hand slowly, taking the envelope in my hands... though my fingerprints leave a red-brown stain.

I turn my palm over, finding a spray of crimson.

My heart stops as I furl my hand into a fist, hiding it from everyone.

Hiding it from myself.

* * *

><p>"<em>You'll fly soon, fly far, far away from this place," I murmur, gently nuzzling the fuzzy feathers still developing on the baby chick's head. He sits tucked away in a makeshift nest inside a box that has been stowed beneath my bed. Soon he will be a song bird that will sit on the tree outside, but for now he's injured, weak. I'll fix him so that he can take to the sky just like he's supposed to.<em>

_ The front door slams shut, so I hold a finger to my lips, willing the baby bird to remain quiet as I gently push the box back under my bed, hidden from view._

_ I sweep my hair back over my shoulders, standing up and straightening out my skirt as I stand, waiting._

_ Ingo bursts through my door the next second, a disgruntled expression twisting his features, "Why aren't you in the stables?" he asks._

_ I swallow, my nerves getting the better of me yet again. "I'm finished my chores."_

_ He takes a few measured steps towards me, slow, intimidating. I bite my cheek, blinking as a flurry of fear sweeps over my eyes. My heart stops, as I hear the smallest chirp from beneath the bed._

_ His footsteps pause, his eyes widening for half a second before narrowing at me. He picks up his feet again, closing the minimal distance between us. He settles his hand on my shoulder, and roughly shoves me aside, crouching by my bedside as I stumble backwards. He reaches under and pulls out the box, the baby bird inside. He lets out a frustrated huff, standing up and finally seeking out my eyes. "Malon... why do you feel the need to keep these pests in the house?" he asks, his impatience seeping through his seemingly collected facade._

_ I open my mouth, my chin trembling, and barely manage, "He's hurt."_

_ "You can't fix them," he says as he takes quick, determined steps towards the window. Before I can comprehend what he's about to do, before I can think of a way to stop him, he pulls the window open and tosses the contents of the box through it, the bird falling to the ground below._

_ I gasp, covering my mouth with my hands as hot tears skew my vision. He puts the empty box on the table and dusts off his hands, gazing upon me without remorse. "Why did you do that?" I ask through a broken voice barely above a whisper._

_ "Because it was broken, and it can't be fixed," he says through tight lips, the words coming out harsh and cold. "It was wasting your time."_

_ "Just like my father was wasting your time?" I demand, not realizing what I've said until it's too late._

_ He lips seal into a tight line, "You'd do best to keep your mouth shut, Malon." He steps towards me, and I shrink back against my bed, wishing I hadn't said anything. He kneels on the mattress, gripping my wrist in his fingers and pinning it to my side, touching my chin with his other hand._

_ I swat at it, looking at him with eyes wide with terror, "What are you doing?" He snatches my hand in his, pinning my legs down with his weight. My heart starts racing, a sick feeling building in my throat. No... please, no. "Stop!" I yell in his face._

_ In one swift move he catches my jaw in his firm grip, searing black eyes burning through me. He hooks his hand down in my yellow scarf, ripping it from my neck. The broach that had kept it on hitting the hard wood floor with a quiet thud and rolling away. I begin to panic then, breath rushing in and out, every muscle working to free myself but failing. There are tears in my eyes, obscuring his face, and those horrible black eyes._

_ One of his hands occupied with discarding the scarf, I wind up, slapping his face as hard as I can, hoping it'll send him reeling long enough to escape. _

_ He lets out a sharp breath, but otherwise doesn't move. I've just made things worse, I've never been so afraid._

_ But when he finally looks back, there is fear in his eyes too, the pitch black softening. He lets go abruptly, scrambling off of me. "Get out of this house," he mumbles, looking down._

_ I lay paralyzed for a moment, too stunned to move._

_ "Get out!" he bellows, squeezing his eyes shut and holding a palm to the red mark on his cheek._

_ I don't wait for another second. I run. I run as far as I can, to the edge of the ranch and the stone barn that houses crates of milk. I wait there, shivering in silence as tears slip down my cheeks. _

_ I avoid him the following day, and the day after that, and every day after that for a year. I do what I'm told, I don't ask questions, I don't help the broken song birds._

_ I don't remember the last time I was called a song bird, and I think I've been broken all this time, unable to fix myself. I've been waiting for two years and forty-eight days for my dad to help fix me up, and even longer for him, seven years._

_ Yes, seven years exactly._

* * *

><p>I know it's unlikely I'll find much of anything. People don't go into the forest, and on most occasions, Link being the exception, they don't come out. My mother had told me stories about the children and things in the forest, the fairies and the trees that grow taller than castles. When I'd met Link, it was like all of the stories I'd been told were becoming real, my imagination taking form.<p>

The forest is so vast, swallowing the light under a thick green foliage, misty streams of light filtering onto the forest floor. My horse becomes restless, something about the dark emptiness of it agitating her.

I place a calm hand on her neck, shushing her worries as I lower my hood, the air cold around me, the ground damp. I don't know where to start. I look up into the grey sky, finding where the sunlight is coming from behind the clouds and marking it's position. If I should get lost, I'll know which way to come back.

I begin forward, coaxing her into the dense forest, very slowly, all the sounds of the field being sucked away and morphed into something more subdued; the croak of frogs, chirp of crickets, call of faraway birds. We walk for what seems like hours, and when I look back at the sun, the tiniest hint of fear creeping up my neck, I see it's not in the same place it began.

I glance back and forth, looking for something familiar, but it all seems the same.

It occurs to me that this might have been a bad idea.

And then I see something, just out of the corner of my eye. I whirl around, tugging on the reigns to follow it. I urge her forward, quicker this time.

I know those wings weren't of butterflies or moths.

Those were fairy wings.

I hear a very faint whir ahead, sounds Navi used to make as she circled Link's head or hid beneath his hat. I see it again, the silvery white wings, the blue aura that surrounds her. She's flying faster now, so I kick my heels into the horse's side, following her closely as my heartbeat picks up. I want to call out to her to wait, but the thick silence of the forest stays my tongue.

Her sparkling wings quickly dissolve within a dark tunnel, though, it looks like a massive log that has been hollowed out. I pause, dismounting my horse and tying her to a nearby tree. I pat her side, and follow on foot. When I see light again, the tunnel has opened up to the forest once more, a bridge on the other side. Link said that Saria had given him his ocarina standing on a bridge like this. It's so quiet, I can almost see him standing here as a child.

I continue on, the quiet thud of my boots against the wood echoing around me.

When I come out on the other side of another tunnel, I find the village Link grew up in. The fairy has disappeared from sight, and I find myself questioning if she was there at all.

It's very much the same as he described it, as the way it had become a fable in my head. But at the same time, the voices of the small children are gone. I wonder where they all are. He'd said they were always playing, though the village before me is vacant.

After he'd first left the forest, he drew a lot of pictures of it, particularly of his home, so when I see the tall hollowed tree with the ladder up to the door, I'm certain that it's his. I wander closer, my eye being drawn to a crudely etched picture of him fighting a monster at the base of the tree, just behind the weathered sign indicating that the house still belongs to him. I grin, imagining him as a little boy, maybe five or six, carving his fantasy into the tough wood. He got far more than he bargained for it seems.

I climb the ladder, reaching the top quickly and pushing aside a drape that had been drawn over the door, ducking my head to enter through the small door frame. The sparse furniture inside is covered in a thin layer of dust, some dry, crackled leaves lay sprawled on the floor. But covering his dresser, his table, almost every surface except for his bed, are scraps of paper with drawings on them. I smile softly, picking up a particular one with a fairy drawn on it, seeing the quiet little boy who drew these in my mind. There's another of a girl, one I assume must be his friend Saria, thousands of grey faded lines making up her gentle face. He's always had this talent it seems, one developed in solitude.

I open his drawers, finding other tunics just like the one he wore when he was a child, and more drawings. And then my hand finds a smooth surface, holes in the wood that my fingers dip into. The ocarina.

My lips turn up as I gaze down at it, holding it firmly in my hands as my thumbs glide across it's surface, removing any dust. It's definitely the same one he played when I taught him Epona's song. I want to go back to then. I take a step towards his bed, sitting on the low mattress and holding the ocarina close to my chest, resting my forehead on my knees and letting a tear of longing slip over my cheek and soak into my skirt.

For this moment I'll admit to myself how much I miss him.

* * *

><p>"<em>Come back soon, okay?"<em>

_ "I will," Anju says, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze, "I'll visit as soon as I can."_

_ "Travel home safe," I remind her. _

_ "Don't worry about me, Mal, worry about yourself," she says, smiling softly at me._

_ I don't want to see her go. Finally having a friend here relieves the tension of living without my father. She'd come one afternoon to look at our cuccos, and stayed half the day. She's been back five times in the past two weeks, and in that time I've caught up on almost every thing I've ever wanted to tell someone. She's the first person I've been able to call a friend in five years._

_ I wait until I can't see her any longer, after the sound of her horse's hooves has faded. Though she's gone, I find myself able to relax beneath the thick foliage of my favorite tree, Ingo out on a delivery. There's something pleasant in solitude. I allow my eyes to slide shut, remnants of peaceful times like this filtering through the times in my memory I'd rather not remember. _

_ The presence of light memories replacing the dark are abruptly scattered though, as a small sound coaxes my eyes back open; a small chirp. I turn my head towards the sound, confused at the close proximity to which it came from. I often wonder what is in the mind of a bird as it flees at the cautious approach of my feet. But I know they don't have a perception of good and evil as we do, they only have the animalistic nature to preserve themselves. This sound was far too close to my ear to abide by thousands of years worth of instincts._

_ I push aside overgrown grass and weeds at the base of the tree where the roots merge with the earth to uncover the source – a baby bird, not old enough to fly, barely old enough to move, and parted from it's nest. I glance around, looking for something, I don't know, it's mother maybe. I come up empty before I inch closer, peering down at the little thing and scooping it up into my palms._

_ It's not a baby cucco, it's a song bird... a song bird like I used to be._

_ "Where's your momma?" I ask it._

_ It folds itself up into a soft ball of feathers and closes it's eyes, nuzzling it's head into my thumb. I stand up, making my way to the house and finding an empty milk box, just the small ones that families will buy that hold four bottles. I fill the bottom with hay and grass, and gently settle the bird inside of it. I bring him up to my room, setting the box on my table and inspecting the poor creature. His wing, still growing strong, seems to be injured. _

_ "You'll fly soon, fly far, far away from this place," I murmur, wishing I could do the same._

_ Wishing I could learn to fly._

* * *

><p>I hold the moonstone in my hand when I write him back, sealing the ocarina and the letter inside of a small box that's stuffed with hay to keep it safe on it's journey. It's late now, so the soonest the package will go out is tomorrow morning, but I'm quite literally trembling with excitement, excitement that won't let me restrain myself to write his letter until then.<p>

I wake up early, to make sure I don't miss the postman. It's cold outside, dusty clouds blanketing the sky. There is the threat of rain in the air, nothing substantial, but the threat remains.

When I woke there was a faint irritation in my chest, the first sign of an oncoming cold... I fear the slight burn in my throat as I breathe greatly, but I put on a brave face.

My body is reacting to my discovery of the symptoms, slowing down, becoming heavy. I try to refrain from coughing, I don't want my dad to hear. I don't want him to worry. Everything seems vaguely distant. But this is nothing I'm not used to.

I clear my throat as the postman makes his way to the ranch and give him what I hope passes as a convincing smile, passing him the box with shaking hands, my limbs being overcome with a sense of weightlessness that makes my fingers go numb. Everything in front of me has become foggy, like I'm opening my eyes underwater. My stomach feels like it's in my throat, my ears like they have cotton balls stuffed into them as he asks me if I'm alright.

But I don't see him, I feel a strange sense of vertigo as the clouds take over my vision, up and down becoming skewed as the back of my head collides with the ground, and darkness envelops the sky.

* * *

><p>I only see brief flashes, my consciousness coming and fading quickly. At one point I'm sure I'm in my father's arms, and at another I'm being jostled around in the back of a wagon. There are always loud voices when I manage to wake, desperate voices. I don't like coming back. When I'm gone, it's quiet, dark, peaceful... but when I surface, my chest aches as I wretch through excruciating coughs, my father wiping at my mouth, the handkerchief coming away red.<p>

It would be so much easier to stay under the thin barrier that separates my pain and my solace. It would be so much easier to stop fighting. I've been fighting since I was thirteen years old, and even before that.

I think this might be it, I think this might be the end. And as I slip away again, I'm glad for it. I'm tired.

My last conscious thoughts are:

I hope he'll understand why I did it.

I hope he won't forget about me.

And I hope he'll be happy.

* * *

><p>"<em>What's happening is that inside of your lungs, all the little air pockets inside of your lungs are inflamed, and this makes it hard for you to breathe sometimes and makes your chest hurt. And when you catch a cold or the flu, it's twice as bad for you because those little inflamed air sacs, they just can't cope with the virus as well. That's why you always get so sick," the doctor explains patiently and with bizarre optimism to me.<em>

_ "Then what happens is lots of fluids build up in your chest, and then you start coughing to try and get rid of it," he continues, using his hands a lot as he talks while I sit on the hospital bed._

_ I take a deep breath, just testing my ability to do so. "Am I going to die?" I ask cautiously._

_ He laughs once though his eyes shift quickly to my father sitting next to me, "No, no sweetheart... now, unfortunately this isn't just like a normal cold, but there are ways we can make it easier for you."_

_ "How?" I ask._

_ "We have a medicine for you to take that's going to soothe those inflamed air sacs. Now, it might make your tummy feel a little sick, and you'll feel pretty tired, so no playing for a while, but you have to understand that it's worth it because it's going to help you to stay healthy, and that's our main goal, right?"_

_ I nod once, on the verge of tears. I hate getting sick to my stomach, the thought actually terrifies me._

_ "So, will it go away?" I ask._

_ He bites his lip, a flaw in his composure that doesn't go unnoticed. "Sweetie, why don't you go grab a drink of water to get the taste of tongue depressors out of your mouth. Me and Dad are just going to have a little chat."_

_ I nod, hopping down off the bed and wandering to the door, glancing back at my daddy and the doctor one last time. The doctor gives me a reassuring nod, though Daddy looks a little more worried._

_ I twist the nob and step outside of the room, but I don't continue down the hall to where to nurses are, I wait with my ear pressed against the wood._

_ "I didn't know if you wanted her to hear..." the doctor mutters._

_ "Hear what?" Dad asks._

_ He pauses, "Her condition is very serious-"_

_ "What's that supposed to mean?" my dad demands. I blink, startled at his abruptness._

_ "In the patients I've treated with her condition in the past... they haven't lived past their early thirties. And that's if it is treated properly," he says solemnly._

_ My dad doesn't say anything for a long time. I cover my mouth with my hand, tears filling my eyes. When he speaks again, he sucks in a big breath, one that tells me he's crying, "Are you telling me that my daughter is going to die before I do?"_

_ "I'm so sorry."_

_ My dad doesn't come out of the room for a long time. He probably doesn't want me to know that he's upset. But I'm glad, because I don't want him to know that I heard._

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm the one that pays for her medicine! Not you. I'm the one that takes care of the brat because you can't manage to actually work for your pay. Lord Ganondorf won't let this ranch stick around if you're here to screw up business Talon!" Ingo bellows as I watch through the keyhole, my heart pounding.<em>

_ "Ingo, I know, I understand. It's just been so hard these past couple of years, with Malon being so sick-" Dad attempts._

_ "Maybe if you actually did something to help her, it'd be a different story, but you do nothing! You think because your name is tacked onto this ranch that it belongs to you, but you're wrong. I'm giving you an hour to get your stuff and leave," he snarls._

_ "Don't do this, my daughter-"_

_ "If you don't leave, I will stop paying for her medicine, and she will die, do you understand?" Ingo shouts. I shake my head, a tear rolling down my cheek._

_ "I don't know what happened to you," Dad says softly._

_ "An hour," Ingo finishes._

_ I write Anju the next day when Dad isn't here. She comes as soon as possible and holds me as I cry, petting my hair and hushing my sobs. She comes back to check up on me, though every time she knocks on the door, I have a prayer in my heart that it'll be my dad, a prayer that is let down every time._

_ "He'll come back, Mal," she says quietly one day before she leaves. I know she doesn't believe it in her heart to be true, but she says it anyways._

_ I nod, "Come back soon, okay?"_

_ "I will," she says._

_ I nod. I can believe that. It's all I have right now._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Malon... welcome back."<p>

I blink away the inky splotches left over from unconsciousness, finding the same doctor from my youth sitting beside me. I blink again and the blurry figures behind him turn into Dad and Ingo.

"What... what's happening?" I ask, a groggy feeling heavy on me.

"You're in the hospital, your dad and Mr. Ingo got you here just in time. Your lungs have been through quite the trouble lately. It seems some of your alveoli collapsed due to the strain of the constant coughing, and that's why there was some blood coming back up. But we've got you mildly sedated so we should be alright for the time being," he explains. "Have you been taking your medication recently?"

I shake my head, clearing my throat, "I don't want to take it anymore. I'm tired of getting sick because of it, I don't like being helpless."

"I understand the side effects aren't exactly ideal, Malon-"

"What's the point if I'm going to die soon?" I ask him, growing upset, "I'm so tired."

"Alright, alright... let's not get upset over it, okay? Let's just take this one thing at a time," he continues, using his calm doctor's voice on me.

Dad kneels by my side, taking my limp hand in both of his. "I'm going to tell him to come home," he murmurs, his eyes red, his voice hoarse.

I shake my head as vigorously as I can manage. "Don't," I warn weakly.

"Honey, he's your husband, he deserves to know and I know for sure he'd want to be here for you," he argues, his eyes filling.

"You don't get it," I whisper, looking at the ceiling with tears budding in my own eyes, "this is why I wanted him to go."

"Malon, you don't want him to be away while you need him most," he says firmly despite his wavering voice.

"Yes, I do," I manage to say as fervently as I can, "I don't want him to see me like this, I don't want him to feel guilt, or just be waiting for me to die. I want him to have something he can go back to, something he can have after so that this won't be all he has – a dead wife and a ranch he's anchored to."

"I don't think this is right, what you're doing to him. Shouldn't he have the chance to decide for himself?" he asks me, his brow furrowing as further tears spill over and catching in his mustache.

I close my eyes, taking in a deep breath. "It's too late now."

"It's not," he mutters, shaking his head.

"It's too late for me," I say, opening my eyes and meeting his, anguish to anguish. "A month or so back... when I went to see Anju, I stopped in here. He said it's progressed. I knew when Link went away that I wouldn't be here when he got back."

My dad presses his lips to my knuckles, shaking warm breath on my skin, "Don't say that."

"Don't worry, Daddy... I want to see her again, tell her how much I love her," I murmur, brushing my fingers along his cheek.

"I don't want to lose you to this just like I lost your mother," he says, his voice aching.

I nod once before I turn over, closing my eyes and pulling the blankets closer to me. I know I'm not leaving just yet, I'm just so tired that sleep is pulling me away, a combination of the illness, of the medication, and of the long day. He's not losing me, and he didn't lose my mother.

She held my hand when my eyes went dark, and though I didn't want to, she made me let go.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah. I got inspiration for Malon's letter from the Dia Frampton (of Meg &amp; Dia) song "The Broken Ones"<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! We're so close to the end!**


	12. Skin And Bones

**Hokay. I'm back. With the second last installment of this book (unless I split the last chapter into two parts which just might happen...) So yes, here it is. This chapter is named after the amazing song: Skin and Bones by David J. Roch. SOOOO GOOD. Listen to it. Now.**

**Also, maybe some of you have noticed that I don't ever write swears or anything in my writing. However... in this chapter I deemed it necessary to let it slip, I was so at war with myself over this that I actually wrote in "darned," went to the thesaurus application, and selected the alternate so I didn't have to type it. This was serious for me. I hope no one takes offense to these words...**

**So many reviews this week. Whew, if I don't respond to you here, then I've probably PM'd you.**

**Synea: Not gonna lie, I hope so ;) I'm glad you've stuck with it!**

**FoxyMonday: Thanks ever so much. Things are getting sadder and sadder, when's it gonna end? Just keep reading :)**

**Fae: I'm ever so sorry. Just keep reading and hopefully you won't want to kill me at the end... **

**savinglifelessness: Eh, my thoughts were that if we could have pictographs, and magic potions, and flying bean plants, then we can have some good medicine, you know what I'm saying? Thanks for reading!**

**anonimus: One last chapter or one chapter split in two. Thank you so much for your kind words!**

**Renegader73095: thanks so much! That's insane! Were you actually born there? That's crazy awesome. You have a really interesting life! And here I am, sitting in Canada... in my bed... on my lap top.**

**Hoenn Master: I agree, life isn't just about money. And you'll just have to wait and see what Malon's fate is! We're almost at the end!**

**Tiger7210: I'm super glad you kind of understand about Malon now. I think this chapter will make you understand even more. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Dippychick16: haha well this chapter is suuuuper long, so hopefully it'll keep you going for a while ;) And don't worry, Link will come back sooner than you think.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"How are we doing today?"<p>

I clear my throat, attempting a smile though my lips just twitch in distaste. "Better than yesterday."

"You've been doing really well, fighting that virus is our first objective," the doctor says, laying the back of his hand on my forehead, taking my wrist in his hands and counting my pulse.

"Mornin', sweetheart," Dad says, following after the doctor, leaning down and kissing my forehead.

"Morning," I reply softly, closing my eyes as his bristly lips touch my head.

"Ingo brought the mail, he said there's a letter from Link," he says optimistically, nodding over his shoulder to where Ingo is entering with a brown bag with their lunches in one hand, a paper envelope in the other.

I grin, sitting up in the hospital bed with a cautious hand from my dad, and holding out a palm for my letter. I hope he's gotten his ocarina by now. It's been just over two weeks. Two weeks I won't ever have back, but I'm glad I'm rid of. The first week I'd spent vomiting from the medication all through the night and most of the morning. I asked them to stop, asked them to let me go multiple times, but there was always something that brought me back in the end.

Maybe it was her... I saw her many times, always coming to my side and slipping a warm hand into mine. I thought she'd want me to come back to her, but she'd always let me go and make me open my eyes.

I tear the envelope open and unfold his letter, reading it in my head though Dad, Ingo, and my doctor are gathered around anxiously waiting for news.

"He's in Lorintha," I tell them, my eyes still furiously devouring his words as my lips quirk into a grin at the little things he says. "It's by the sea, he says it's getting colder though, just like it is here, but that he likes the ocean. He says it rains a lot and that he likes the rain."

"Lorintha... that's close to here, isn't it? Just on the other side of the mountains, I think..." Ingo mutters.

"Did he get the ocarina?" Dad asks.

I nod, biting my lips with a grin I try to hide. "Yeah, he got the ocarina... he says he plays it for the children at an orphanage nearby. He says none of the orphans know Hylian, it's the second language in Lorintha, and that they make fun of him in Lorinthian," I continue with a laugh.

I glance up, all of their expressions have softened as they listen intently.

"But... he says that they taught him a song in Lorinthian that he plays for them, that they sound so beautiful... that it reminds him of home," I say quietly, picking out details to pass on. I don't tell them about the parts only meant for me, about how one day he hopes we can have a child for me to sing to, for him to play for. I don't tell them about how he says he wishes he could give me something worth as much as the ocarina, but it doesn't matter to me.

I pause though, my heart stopping and the back of my neck starting to burn. "Mal?" Dad asks.

I glance up with wide eyes, "He says he's stopping through on the way to Termina. That he'll be here for two days while the crew stocks up on supplies."

Dad smiles, clasping his hands together and then rubbing his palms as he leans back in his chair, "That's good! Aren't you excited?"

"Dad," I say, clasping a hand to my forehead in distress as my eyes run over the ink on the page, "he'll never go back if he sees me sick like this."

"But you've been doing so well, honey," he murmurs, biting his cheek.

"So I can go home? See Link?" I ask, setting the letter down in my lap and looking towards the doctor.

He hesitates before saying, "I do agree with your father... you've been doing remarkably well considering the state you were in when you showed up. But you must understand your current condition is still... quite fragile."

"It'll only be two days," I say, or rather, plead.

"Malon, you do understand why I'm a bit hesitant to send you home," the doctor says.

"I do, but I'll have my dad and Ingo to make sure I'm alright... should anything happen. And... while I'm grateful for everything you've done for me... I... I know that it's just so I'll be comfortable before... and I know I don't have... much time. And It's either going to be at home or in this hospital bed. I'll be more comfortable at home." I say as a last effort, my throat feeling thick, tears stinging in my eyes. "I want to see my husband... I want to see him happy... please."

One of my father's large hands finds mine, squeezing it tightly. I can feel my lips quivering, tears perching on the edge of my eyelids, waiting to spill.

I watch anxiously as the doctor stares back at me, his lips sealed into a tight line before he drops his gaze, and nods once.

A soft sigh escapes my lips, the tears falling in relief as I close my eyes.

I feel my father's arms encircle me, his voice low as he says, "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>"<em>Daddy, I – can't b-breathe," I manage to get out between hysterical coughing fits.<em>

_ "I know, I know, pumpkin. Come on, we have to hurry," he mutters quickly, ushering me towards the wagon Ingo is sitting in, ready to go. He pushes a canteen into my hands, the water inside quickly spilling past my lips in an attempt to make the burning in my throat go away. In the end it does little to help._

_ "We're going to get you to a doctor as soon as possible, just try to take deep breaths. Hold on for just a little while, baby," he says, hoisting me onto the wagon as tears roll down my cheeks from the coughing – my face feels like it's on fire._

_ The ride is excruciatingly long, and I throw up just from retching so hard. I cough until I gag, and then I gag until I throw up. Daddy carries me up the stairs in Kakariko Village to the small hospital that hides itself among the houses. There's a little boy that watches me with wide eyes as we pass. I think about his face, and how scared he looked as the doctor rubs something cold on my throat and chest, something that feels like it's burning me... though the sensation is strangely pleasant._

_ It makes it easier to breathe, it makes the air feel less dense. I stop coughing after a while._

_ I stay at the doctor's for a few days. He does a lot of tests on me; listens to my heart, my lungs, the way I breathe. He looks inside my mouth and throat, presses my tongue down with a flat wooden stick. I don't like the taste, it makes me feel sick in the back of my throat._

_ "Her mother... she was sick like this," my dad tells the doctor one day, his eyes down._

_ The man that holds my wrist in his hand doesn't look at my dad when he speaks. "I remember," he says quietly._

_ "Is... it the same thing?" Daddy asks him, trying to make it so I can't hear._

_ "Hard to tell," the doctor says, but I think he does know, I think he doesn't want me to know._

_ "What's happening?" I ask, the fear urging the question past my lips._

_ He takes a deep breath and smiles at me, trying to be brave. Even the doctors get scared sometimes I think. "What's happening is that inside of your lungs, all the little air pockets inside of your lungs are inflamed, and this makes it hard for you to breathe sometimes and makes your chest hurt. And when you catch a cold or the flu, it's twice as bad for you because those little inflamed air sacs, they just can't cope with the virus as well. That's why you always get so sick."_

_ Just like Mom always got so sick. I think Daddy's right. I think it's the same._

_ And my mom died before I even knew her._

* * *

><p>"Take Ingo's hand... there you go," Dad murmurs, wrapping a firm arm around my back and securing the blanket wrapped around me there as I climb gingerly out of the back of the wagon.<p>

Home has never felt so good to come back to. Even the smell, that familiar scent of hay and wild flowers. Yes, I should very much like to spend my last moments here. When I was young, and Link would go on about his adventures, I wished to leave the confines of the ranch and follow him. But now the peace here is overwhelming. It soothes the fear of falling.

They both help me up into my room, just making sure I don't stumble on my trembling legs. Everything seems to absorb so much more energy than it normally would, I find myself panting when I finally lay down on my bed.

"Do you need me to get anything for you?" Dad asks as he sits on the edge of the bed, pulling the covers up to my chin.

I shake my head, "When do you think Link will be home?"

"Well, you said the letter was dated about a week ago, Ingo said on horseback he thought it would take just over that to take the road through the mountains... so I'd assume any day now."

I grin, burrowing myself further into my blankets and shutting my eyes, "Good."

He stands up and walks to the door, turning down the dial in the lamp and letting dusk fall upon me. "Have a good sleep," he mumbles.

"You too," I murmur sleepily, already dozing off, already waiting anxiously until I won't be alone under these covers.

* * *

><p>I sleep most of the first day, and then spend the rest walking, just walking. I walk around the corral, I pet the faces of the horses, I do things simple, things that won't hurt. I eat dinner, I read Link's letter, send him a prayer for his safe return, and sleep once more.<p>

I won't deny the subtle disappointment that he hasn't returned home yet. I knew it would more likely be later than sooner, but I'd allowed myself to get the hope up. I almost have difficulty sleeping just from the anticipation of not knowing when.

I've been doing better with every day. Dad stirs a small dose of my medicine into my tea each morning and each night to fight off the virus, and while I'm still not fixed, Link won't know the difference. I've gone through years of coping, I know how to put on a brave face so people overlook it.

Dad and Ingo give me my space, they know I don't like the constant hovering. But I don't miss them peeking around corners, wearily eyeing me.

"I'm fine," I mutter to myself as Dad glances out into the corral where I am before going back into the house. He had just left the barn to head inside, but couldn't resist checking up I suppose. I brush out one of the horses, resting my face on her neck as I listen to the sounds of day die out, and the sounds of night evolve. The sky is still light blue, though the navy in the east is spreading quickly like an ink spill.

It's getting cold, so cold that goosebumps rise on my arms and neck. The rest of the horses are inside for the night, so after much hesitation, I take the reins of the final one, and lead her to the entrance of the corral. I lean into her, almost allowing her to guide me as my eyes grow tired, trusting my feet enough to let my eyelids slip closed for a moment.

I don't recognize separate hooves against the ground, but when she whinnies and stops her steady gait, I open my eyes and glance up to find that there's another horse maybe ten feet in front of me. The horse I had been holding onto canters towards the horse across from us, leaving me at the gate to watch as the man atop the coppery horse dismounts her.

I fold my arms and lean against the gate, watching him as he watches me. He takes a few steps forward before pausing again, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows. There are so many things I want to say, so many things I want to do. My heart is pounding inside of my chest, aching to go to him though something stays my feet.

I open my mouth, my words barely making it past my lips, though the night around us is so quiet I know that he hears my broken words.

"I didn't forget."

* * *

><p>"<em>Stay here with Malon," Daddy says softly to Ingo. I think he doesn't want me to hear.<em>

_ "Where are you going?" Ingo asks him, putting his hands on my shoulders and turning me away._

_ "Kakariko... gonna help out where I can with the... burials," he mutters the last bit._

_ "Alright. Be careful on the way there... it's dangerous out there now," Ingo reminds him._

_ "I know, I'll be alright," Dad says with a grim face. He crouches down to my level and touches my cheek. "You'll be okay without me, right?"_

_ "Daddy," I say, "I'm almost ten."_

_ "I know, and I'll be back soon. Just do not leave this ranch... no matter what you do," he says firmly._

_ "I have to stay here anyways," I say, my voice shaking, "for when Link comes back."_

_ He looks down, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Of course, for when Link comes back."_

_ "Do you think he'll come back?" I ask, scared for a minute that he thinks something's happened._

_ He waits for a moment before looking back up at me. He smiles but it's not how he usually smiles where his eyes sparkle and his cheeks turn red... just his lips turn up. "Yeah, I do."_

_ I believe him as I watch him go, watching him ride off towards Kakariko where everyone from the town has been living since the fires. I don't look towards the collapsed castle on the horizon, and I don't look at the dark clouds of smoke above the town. I run back inside when I hear a woman scream. Daddy won't say much, but I know there are some people still trapped there, people they're too afraid to go back and get. I sit in the corner of my room with my hands pressed over my ears and cry real hard._

_ One night while dad is still gone, helping out the people in Kakariko, that tall man they've all been talking about comes to the ranch. The one with the dark skin and the gold eyes. Ingo pushes me into the back storage room and shuts the door, telling me to keep my mouth shut. I do what he says, sitting in the corner with my knees pulled up to my chest. I can hear his heavy boots on the other side of the door: thud, thud, thud. _

_ When they stop, his voice echoes low through the house, it makes my stomach twist. He talks to Ingo for a long time and then he leaves. But Ingo doesn't let me out of the room. I think about how Link will be here soon to help me. Daddy said he'd come back._

_ Ingo starts to become very angry. Him and Dad don't talk for weeks at a time, and then for three years they hardly say a word to each other that doesn't end in an argument or fight. Dad says that Ingo has changed, and I see it too. I want to tell my dad about that time when the tall man with the loud boots came to our house, I'm sure he had something to do with it, but I don't like to talk much anymore. I stay quiet._

_ There's a part of me that is angry at my father. He lied to me about Link. He told me he would come back and he didn't._

* * *

><p>"<em>Cuccos cost money, Malon! You can't be careless, you're not a child, don't expect me to treat you like one!" Ingo shouts at me one day. One of the cuccos had escaped while I was feeding them, I wasn't able to catch it again.<em>

_ My face is hot, embarrassment burning at the back of my eyes._

_ "Why can't you just do as you're told, huh?" he bellows in my face. He grips my wrists in his hands as I suck in a sharp breath, his grasp hurting me. "These are called hands, do you know how to use them? You lift up the cage door, and if the cuccos try to get out, you catch them!"_

_ "I'm sorry," I say for probably the thirtieth time, his scolding eyes blurry as mine fill. I sound so pitiful. "I didn't mean-"_

_ He slaps me then, my cheek stinging as the clap still rings in my ears. I burst into sobs, cupping my cheek in my hands. "Don't give me that. You just _try_ to aggravate me, don't you?"_

_ I start crying so hard that my chest begins to ache, my throat burning. Desperate coughs begin to take the place of my cries. _

_ Dad bursts through the open door of the barn, the one the cucco had escaped through. His eyes find mine in a flurry of confusion. "What's going on?" he demands._

_ "Sh-she just started... c-coughing," Ingo stutters, though I barely hear him over my retching._

_ "Malon," Dad says, rushing over to me and crouching down beside me. He gasps, running a thumb over my cheek but he doesn't say anything._

_ "Daddy, I – can't b-breathe," I manage to get out between hysterical coughing fits._

_ "I know, I know, pumpkin. Come on, we have to hurry," he mutters quickly. He neglects the hand print on my face for now._

_ But I don't forget._

* * *

><p>He doesn't say a word, and we just stand, two people connected by something no one can see. We're just two people that have seen many things, two people that found one another and trusted each other enough to hold onto those memories we didn't want to share.<p>

His steps toward me are full of purpose, determination now. I lift up my skirt and jog the final space between us, slinging my arms around his neck when I'm finally close enough.

He holds my trembling body close to his, burying his face in my neck as his warm lips touch my skin. He presses his hands against the small of my back, binding me tightly to him, I can feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes, his solid stomach against mine as I curve my body into his. He pulls back for only a moment to look into my eyes, to brush the hair off my face, before he folds me back against his shoulder. I wrap my arms around his waist now, listening so closely.

I listen to his heartbeat, a sound I've missed greatly. I sigh, closing my eyes as his fingers gently cradle my head, comb out strands of my hair, caress the back of my neck. This is what I've yearned for for so long, just someone to hold me and touch me.

He takes my face between his hands and closes his eyes, touching his lips to my forehead with desperation, yet with restraint. He breathes out slowly, his body relaxing, his muscles shifting beneath my fingers. His fingertips trail down my cheeks to my chin, gently tilting my face up to meet his in a soft kiss. It says everything he won't, it mimics my thoughts. I missed you, I need you, I don't want to be apart from you.

Sighing, he rests his chin on my head. "It's cold out. You ought to go in," he murmurs though he makes no move to let me escape his arms.

"What about you?" I murmur into his thick coat.

"I have to settle in Epona for the night. But I'll be up soon," he says so quietly.

I nod, looking up at him and meeting his eyes, drinking in the dark and capturing the stars. I reach up on my tip toes, brushing my lips over his chin, the chilled grass tickling the bottom of my bare feet. It'll be far too cold for me to do this soon, soon the ground will be covered in snow.

"I won't be long," he whispers, finally relaxing his grip and letting me go.

It's strange. Things seem to have already fallen back to the way they were a month ago. I can allow the little distance between us and there is no desperation to get back to him like there was when he was hundreds of miles away. My body just knows he's there, it knows he'll come hold me soon.

I dress in my nightgown and climb into bed, my fingers seeking out the letter beneath his pillow and stowing it away in my drawer. He comes back, just like he said he would, and I watch cross-legged on the bed as he undresses down into his light cotton pants, shedding all the heavy layers. I hate how bare the floor looks when his clothes aren't on it.

He crawls over to me, curling his fingers around my thigh and wrapping his other arm around my waist so he can slip underneath me, pulling me on top of him. He gazes up at me, the candlelight glimmering off his eyes. There is something so hopeless in them.

"Kiss me," he pleads in a whisper.

I gently push the soft hair on his forehead off his face, trailing my fingertips over his eyes so he'll close them before I lower my face, melding my lips with his.

"Tell me," I murmur against his skin after a moment, "I want to hear everything."

He opens his eyes, grinning at me. "There's so much."

"I don't need to sleep," I tell him gently, curling into his side and taking one of his hands in both of mine, kissing each of his knuckles.

And I don't. Not until grey light starts to filter through the windows do I finally drift off, when his stories have finally faded from the air, his eyes fluttering closed with fatigue, his words trailing off without end and becoming garbled nonsense. I smile happily to myself when his stories become something of dreams and his reality becomes skewed between now and unconsciousness. He's so exhausted that he begins to talk with a slurred voice about fighting dragons, with me beside him. I can't help but giggle as his eyelids slip closed, and I nestle my face into his shoulder and join him, his arm draping over my body.

The demons don't attempt to grasp me. I can't even see them from where they hide in the shadows.

I think about all the places he's told me he's seen – the ocean and the mountains and the wide plains. I think about all the people he met, and the lives they led. I think about the little girl living with her grandmother in the east along the Great Snake River where the air is thick with mist, and the landscape is masked with green. The girl would call him _aithele jou_. Pointy ears. He said her name was Sol, or sun in their language. She was nine years old, and every day she would take him down to the river, and try to make him teach her how to skip rocks.

When she finally was able to make a smooth rock skim along the surface of the water, defying the laws and rules of the world we know, she took the black sand along the banks in her hand and made him crouch in front of her. She drew a line down the center of his face, over his forehead and along his nose, and then put a dot on each of his temples. Link had mimicked this action on my face with his own finger, speaking so softly. Then the girl had called him _Leiorae_: Teacher.

The translator that was by Link's side through most of their travels had connected Sol's words with his, and when it came time for Link to depart, the little girl had held onto his waist and asked her _leiorae_ not to go. The old woman took Link's hand, and asked him with tears in her eyes in her language, to come back for her granddaughter, to take her to Hyrule after the old woman had passed on.

Link held me and was quiet for a long time after he told me this. I glanced up to see if he was still awake, and had found the moonlight glimmering off the tears on the brim of his eyelids.

"Thank you," he'd said so quietly I almost didn't hear.

He'd met her because I made him go. And now, because of that, Link might be able to be more than a teacher to her. He'll do what he was always meant to.

He'll be a guardian, a protector, a father.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's so pretty."<em>

_ "It's called the Zora's Sapphire. Princess Ruto said there was another name for it... but I don't really remember what she said. She said a lot of things I didn't really understand," Link says, holding out the blue shining stone in his hand. _

_ "Do you have to give it to Princess Zelda?" I ask, sitting down on an empty milk crate._

_ He sits down beside me, stowing the stone carefully away into his bag, wrapping it in a piece of cloth first. "Yup, now that I have all three, I have to take all of them to her."_

_ "Then what?" I ask, swinging my legs as I watch him curiously._

_ "I don't know... then I'll come back here I guess," he says, finally looking up to meet my eyes._

_ "You will?" I ask._

_ "'Course," he says, "I like it here."_

_ A low rumbling stirs in the sky, thunder hinting at a storm to the north, beyond the castle. "You better get going, looks like it's gonna rain."_

_ He nods, standing up and readjusting the sword strapped to his back, latching his shield on. "Malon," he begins quietly._

_ "Yes?" I reply._

_ He pauses, looking at his boots before he speaks. "When I do come back, we don't have to talk about the things I did anymore, right?"_

_ I shake my head, "If you don't want to."_

_ He dips his chin, looking down at his hands. "Sometimes I like to forget."_

_ I purse my lips, raising an eyebrow at him. "I thought you said you liked your adventures."_

_ He shifts uncomfortably. "Well, I did... but I'm tired of talking 'bout them," he mumbles._

_ "I get it," I murmur, watching the way his hair falls in front of his eyes when he bows his head, "my daddy doesn't like talking 'bout my momma... even though he really liked her."_

_ He nods, glancing up at me once before letting his hair cover his eyes up again. I watch him as he stands up, fiddling with the strap over his shoulder before he makes his way to the door. I stand there under the overhanging of the roof as he leaves, the thunder growing louder and the sound of distant rain whispering over us. I head back inside before the rain sweeps the house, climbing into my room to watch dusk settling in from my window. _

_ I hope he made it alright. From here it looks like the gate to Castle Town is closed._

_ He doesn't come back soon though, so he must have made it. Just like I thought he would. I curl up under my covers feeling safe now, knowing that he is too. My only fear now is for tomorrow, when Daddy will find the broken window in the barn._

_ My eyes open slowly when it's still dark. I had been dreaming that I was stuck inside a room as it filled with smoke, flames reaching under the door. Something smells funny... something I'd thought I'd just made up in my head, but no... I can still smell it._

_ I let my toes touch the floor, pacing quietly over to my window to see what the bright lights are outside. I squint at the town across the plain, yellow lights bursting from the streets, too bright to be the houses, too bright to be candles. _

_ My eyes open wide, my breath stopping as I connect the smell to the lights._

_ Fire._

_ Screaming._

_ Link._

_ The door bursts open, my father standing there beside Ingo, his face looks scared. My heart is thumping real hard. He picks me up in his arms, holding me so tight that I can feel his heart thumping hard too. I rest my head on his shoulder crying for some reason I don't understand._

_ He puts me in the back room with all the empty boxes and old furniture. I crawl inside one of the crates that lays on it's side and hug my knees to my chest, trying to keep my breathing quiet so I can hear. _

_ Daddy and Ingo are talking really fast, and there's a really loud banging noise over top of them speaking. I can still smell that smoke, it makes my stomach feel sick._

_ Where is Link right now? He was there, he was in Castle Town. Did he get out? Is he safe?_

_ When the loud noise stops, Daddy and Ingo come back to me. They bring blankets and pillows, and the three of us sleep in the storage room on the floor. I hear them talking when they think I'm finally asleep. They talk about a man from the desert, the one that did all of this. _

_ He was the one that Link and the Princess were trying to stop._

_ But they didn't. They didn't stop him... what does that mean for the Princess? For Link?_

_ I'm so afraid. I wish right now I had a mom to hold me._

_ When I wake up, I'm confused as to where I am, as to what was real and what my mind made up. The smell of smoke still lingers in the air, the sting of tears that had been in my eyes. My daddy isn't beside me and I'm not sure it's morning until I open the storage room door and see light streaming in through our windows in strips, dust swirling in them. I find the cause of the loud banging noise – Dad and Ingo had been hammering wooden boards to the windows and door. _

_ Now he stands with the hammer in his hand, pulling the nails back out of the planks barricading the door. The nails fall to the floor with a gentle _plink_, before rolling to various spots._

_ "Daddy, what's going on?" I ask, rubbing my sore eyes._

_ He glances down at me, though he won't look in my eyes. "Nothing sweetie... it's early, you can go jump in your bed now."_

_ Ingo walks up behind me, settling his hands on my shoulders. "Talon, what're you doing?" he asks._

_ "Would you take Malon up to her room?" he asks a bit impatiently._

_ "Are you going somewhere?" Ingo presses._

_ "Ingo," my father says in an urgent whisper, something I've never seen flashing across his gentle eyes, "take my daughter upstairs to her room."_

_ By now all the nails have fallen to the floor, he puts his hand on the doorknob, but I reach out and grab his wrist. "No, Daddy. Don't go out there," I plead._

_ "I'll come with you," Ingo offers, "wherever you're going, let me come too."_

_ Dad shakes his head, looking down at me with sad eyes as he gently takes my hand off of him. "Stay here with Malon," he says, his voice calming down again._

_ "Where are you going?" Ingo asks, turning me away from the conversation._

_ I already know where he's going, he's going to help the people that were hurt, he's going to help the people that are struggling. I hope... I hope that Link is there when he arrives._

_ "Kakariko," he says._

* * *

><p>I don't realize that there's a missing presence when I wake. I'm so used to sleeping alone now – I've been doing it for the past month – that it doesn't seem out of place for his side of the bed to be empty. But when I stretch my legs out, flexing my toes and reaching my arms out, I feel that his pillow is warm.<p>

A smile bubbles past my lips, he really is home.

I sit up, waiting for the head rush to subside before I clear my throat and climb out of bed. The door to our bedroom is open, so I stand silently at the top of the stairs, peering down at him as he sits at the table, seemingly wielding a needle and thread. I smirk at his attempt as he curses quietly, poking himself with the sharp needle.

I inch down the staircase in silence, though he's seemingly so engrossed in patching his tunic that he doesn't notice me until I slip my hand over top of his, ceasing his motion. "You know, I could probably have done this in about a quarter of the time it'll take you," I whisper low into his ear.

He spins around to face me, sliding an arm around my waist as I move my hands to his shoulders. "I didn't want to waste your time," he murmurs as I sit down on one of his legs I'm straddling.

I lean my face in towards his, kissing his lips gently. He still tastes the same. "Where's Dad?" I ask him as he moves his lips to my cheek.

"Outside working with Ingo... I tried to help them, but they wouldn't take it, not on my one day here," he explains against my skin.

"One day..." I trail off, wishing that it could be longer but knowing that would only make it more difficult.

"I know, I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'll ride back out tomorrow morning, just before they're ready to leave again."

I hold him close to me, cradling the back of his head against my shoulder, "It's okay, It'll be alright."

"Malon," he says so quietly.

"Mhmm?" I murmur.

"Can I talk to you about something?" he asks me.

I pull back, looking into his troubled eyes. Something stirs in my chest, "Of course."

"I've just been thinking a lot about something Zelda told me... I – I can't stop thinking about it," he begins. My heart starts beating harder.

"You can tell me anything," I say, cupping his cheek, "what's bothering you?"

He shakes his head, his eyes gazing off and finding something far away to focus on. "She said she's been dreaming... like the kind of dreams she had back when we were children... when Ganondorf came." He looks down, his mouth slightly open as it looks like he's trying to form words but can't. "She said that... that she's afraid he's going to break the seal... the one that the sages bound him with."

"Link..." I mutter, my heart pounding.

"And she... she said that maybe if I..." he continues, his eyes wide and distant like he's watching something horrific, "if I went back, back to when we were kids, we could stop it. If I... if I went back..."

I swallow hard, finally finding the will to speak. "What are you thinking about right now?"

He looks back up into my eyes then. "I won't go back," he says resolutely though his voice wavers slightly, "because I would have to leave you here."

I take my turn to look away. "But what if this is for the best... what if this could change things," I ask him, my words barely escaping my mouth.

He takes my face in his palms, forcing me to look at him. "What are you saying?" he demands.

"Link... you would be able to go back and never have to do those things you don't like to think about, you would be able to live like you were supposed to," I argue almost silently, unable to convince him with my voice.

He looks appalled at me, appalled or hurt. "If none of that ever happened to me, I would still be living in that damned forest, not knowing who the hell I am and never being able to meet you," he says in a rush. Link rarely ever curses in front of me. He's so upset... it hurts to try and tell him these things. "And I wouldn't forget those things I did, Malon."

"I'm just saying–" I attempt.

"What are you saying? That you want me to go back? To leave you here?" he asks, standing up and pushing me off of his lap.

I press the heel of my hand to my forehead, crossing my other arm over my ribs. "I just want you to be happy," I say but it comes out as a sob.

"I will _never_ be happy if I have to leave you," he says, his voice breaking, "I'm happy here with you."

"But you're not," I say, snapping my head back up to challenge his argument, my eyes misty, my throat thick, "you say you are but I can tell you're miserable... if you went back, maybe you could find something to make you happy."

"Why are you saying this?" he shouts, desperately seeking answers.

I give him the only one I know is completely the truth. I bury my face in my hands as the tears in my eyes spill down my cheeks. I look up at him once more as I say, "Because it was my idea."

The shock silences whatever thought was lingering on his tongue. He looks at me with wide eyes, confusion and despair flickering through those violent storms in his irises. "W-what...?"

"I'm sick," I tell him, my voice faltering, "I told you I was sick when you proposed to me."

His lips twitch, his eyes filling, "I – I know, what does... what does that have to do with–"

"When you first went to go see Zelda... about a month back. I went to Kakariko to see Anju... and when I was there I saw the doctor, he told me that it... my illness... had progressed," I begin as he abruptly turns away from me, covering his mouth with his hand, squeezing his eyes shut. I continue with a shaky voice, "he said I didn't have much longer."

He doesn't look at me when he asks with a hollow voice; "How long?"

My chin quivers as those words I've held inside this whole time finally escape. "Twelve weeks...more or less."

"This... this was a m-month ago?" he asks me, barely able to maintain eye contact.

I simply nod, another tear falling from my chin.

He slumps against a nearby wall for support, pressing the heels of his hands to his eye sockets. "Why didn't you tell me this? Why would you make me go if you knew?"

"B-because I wanted you to have something to hold onto after I died. I wanted you to have someone to go back to," I explain quietly.

"I don't understand," he cries gently, "I still don't understand what this has to do with Zelda wanting me to go back."

I swallow, "That morning before you left... when Zelda asked to speak with me, she asked if I wanted you to stay. I told her I needed you to go with her. She didn't understand either, but she said if I needed anything, just to let her know. And so I asked her, I asked her to make you believe you needed to go back."

His legs give out, his back sliding against the wall until he's sitting against the floor. He sucks in a shuddering breath, "Why would you do that?"

I look up, trying to blink through the tears in my eyes. "Because you've lost everything. You've lost your parents, you've lost your childhood, you lost your daughter only this past _June_ and I didn't want you to have to lose me too. If you went back you wouldn't have to. You wouldn't have to lose our baby because she would never be born. And maybe you wouldn't have to lose me because maybe we'd never meet."

He begins breathing quickly, his eyes wide in utter shock. "I feel sick," he murmurs, his voice coming out as an aching cry.

I burst into a sob, moving to sit on the ground beside him. I hold onto his knee as I lean my face into his shoulder, "I'm so sorry. This is all wrong."

"Would you still want me to go," he asks softly, "if our baby... if she hadn't died?"

I pause for a moment, and then shake my head. "But she did die."

"I know you blame yourself," he murmurs, his breathing hoarse, "but it wasn't your fault."

I suck in a ragged breath, new tears burning down my cheeks, "If I wasn't so sick, I wouldn't have had her so prematurely–"

"Don't," he says, cutting me off, taking my hopeless face in his hands, "none of it was your fault. Do you understand me?"

I nod, though the unbearable guilt that has kept me up at night, that has haunted me from the shadows of my bedroom, the guilt that eats away at me when he's not here to remind me of this, still weighs heavily down on me. He crushes me into an embrace, both of us sobbing for our little baby that died before she got the chance to live.

* * *

><p><em>We're met with the shattering of glass.<em>

_ We glance frantically at each other before I rush inside the barn, finding the rock that had flown from my hand and right through the window. It had just been silly child games, I was only trying to prove to Link that I could throw as far as he can. And then the rock had slipped out of my fingers, and had crashed through the window. _

_ It lays on the ground, a crowd of broken glass surrounding it. My heart sinks. What will my father do?_

_ "I'll say I did it," Link says in nothing but a surefire way to get the both of us killed._

_ I punch his arm. "Are you crazy? That is nothing but a surefire way to get the both of us killed," I scold him._

_ "Then what?" he asks._

_ I pick up the rock in my hand, "I have an idea. In the real world, life works like this: innocent until proven guilty. If they can't find this rock, they'll have no proof either of us was involved."_

_ "Where are you gonna hide it where your dad won't find it?" he asks me._

_ I grab his wrist in my other hand, towing him to the back corner of the barn where there's a loose floorboard. I press down on the back corner, and the board pops up, bringing the nails with it out of the rotted wood. I stow the rock away beneath the floorboard, and press it back down, concealing it there beneath a handful of hay. "Daddy doesn't know about this spot." I glance up at Link, just to make sure he hasn't run off to tell already. "Don't say a word about this, got it?"_

_ He nods, "I won't tell if you don't."_

_ I close my mouth and turn an imaginary key in front of my lips. "Not a word, Fairy Boy."_

_ He shrugs, "I have to go soon anyways, so I won't have to deal with it."_

_ I frown at him, "You can't go yet, you haven't even shown me the third stone."_

_ "Oh yeah!" he exclaims, opening up one of his pouches and pulling out the stone wrapped in thick canvas fabric. "It's here."_

_ There are three blue stones set into gold. I don't say, but the color reminds me of his eyes when it's sunny outside. "It's so pretty," I say, but I'm not looking at the stone, I'm looking at him._

* * *

><p>"I'm going to head back now before it's too late... I'm going to explain to Zelda that I can't continue on with her, and then I'm going to come back, alright?" Link asks as we stand outside the house. It's so cold out today.<p>

I pause, biting my lip as I look down, "...And then what? What will you do when you get back here? I don't want you to be waiting for me to die..."

He pulls me in closer to him, tilting my face up to meet his as a solitary tear rolls down my cheek. He slips his fingers around to the back of my neck and looks straight into my eyes, his still housing the pain from earlier. I hold onto his wrist with one hand and settle the other on his chest. "And then I'm going to find a way to fix you," he says resolutely.

I raise my hand I'd settled against his chest and touch my index finger to his bottom lip, feeling his warm breath on my hand. "You can't," I barely whisper.

"I'm going to find a way," he murmurs, pulling me into him.

I open my eyes as something cold touches my skin to find fluffy white flakes littering the ground around us. It's finally snowing.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," he says as he reluctantly lets go of me and climbs onto Epona's back, "I love you."

I can't find my voice, so I just press my fingers to my mouth, and hold them up to him before he turns and escapes my sight.

I only have one thing to do while he's away. I hurry to the barn, to the back corner where the hay conceals a board where the rusted nails are barely held in place by rotted wood. I push down on the far corner, just enough pressure to open the compartment below.

And it's still there, untouched by all of the years that have passed. The heavy grey rock that I'd thrown through the window.

I take it in my hand and ready one of the horses, climbing on her back and urging her towards the lake. A place deep enough to consume the rock forever.

I test it's weight in my hand as I stand on the shore, looking out at the glassy surface being faintly disrupted by the snow that lands on it. I pull my hand back, before snapping my arm forward, the rock arcing through the sky and landing out in the depths of the grey-blue. I watch with blurry eyes, my brow furrowed as the ripples reach my feet, and then dissipate altogether, taking any memory of the rock with them.

I'm tired of keeping secrets.

* * *

><p><strong>So the cat's out of the bag. Malon's dying, she was just trying to protect Link, and her and Link lost a baby that was born prematurely. Now you basically know why Malon has such a hard life. What did you think? Were you surprised? Let me know! Also, since this last chapter is probs gonna take me a long time, and since you guys did it this time, I'm gonna say ten reviews before I put up the final installment! See you guys in the finale!<strong>


	13. Part I: Angel

**Hey everybody, I'm back. So yes, I cheated and split the final chapter into two parts just because it was sooo extensive. Everything took a lot longer than I thought it would, and then I had to factor in the flashbacks and yeah, I just decided to split it. I'm verrrry very close to finishing the second half, so the more people that give some good feedback, the more motivated I'll be :)**

**So, since I cheated, I decided to sneak in a little bonus song. So this chapter, Chapter 13 Part I, is named after the beautiful song "Angel" by Sarah Mclachlan. This song has seriously been one of my favorites for YEARS. Literally for like ever. **

**Oh! About the revelation of the baby. I'm guessing no one, except my confidant Zelda-Fanatic121, knew that was coming. However, after reading these last two chapters, I'm sure you'll see that this wasn't just a random idea I had, this was something I'd planned since the beginning, and I'd strongly encourage any who liked the story, to go back and re-read it once it's finished. I'm sure you'll find many little foreshadowing details that could easily be overlooked if you didn't have that concept in mind.**

**PrincessMidna: Glad you think so! I really hope you like the ending :)**

**Mel: Thank you for your compliment, it means so much to me.**

**Princess Aleada: I do understand where you're coming from. I hope you enjoy the final bits.**

**Synea: Indeed, I'm glad you picked up on that little detail. The reason Malon said that was because she feared losing another child, and so she's decided not to try and have children. Which is very unfortunate for Link :(**

**Hoenn Master96: haha for you I share this quote "Everything will be alright in the end. So if it is not alright, it is not yet the end."**

**dippychick16: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the bit with the little girl named Sol. I really enjoyed imagining her back story and incorporating her into the story.**

**Last thing, I just want to remind people that this is a fictional story, set in a fictional world, so if things aren't how they would be in our world, they're not supposed to ;)**

* * *

><p>"Let's go home," I murmur into my horses ear as I pat her neck, placing my foot into the stirrup and hauling myself onto her back.<p>

I press my heels gently into her side, urging her forward into a steady walk on the uneven banks of the lake. It won't be long after I get home. Link will be back soon.

Despite my initial plans, my desire for him to never have to live in a world where he believes he has nothing, I'm glad he finally knows. It had hurt me to keep it locked away within my own consciousness, but I felt as though there was nothing I could do. Like every time I touched his arm and looked into his eyes, a confession on the edge of my lips, those swirling blue irises would silence me. The silent storms that I knew housed years worth of torment.

I look towards the castle on the horizon, the one he must be at by now and something deep within my heart clenches. I know that his is a wasted cause, that he won't be able to save me like he has so many others. I whisper quietly towards the castle, wishing he could hear my apology, "I'm so sorry, Link–"

I'm cut off abruptly as my horse jolts forward, not like she's taking off, but like she's lost her footing. She stumbles as a low rumbling echoes below us, stopping my heart for a brief moment and then causing it to hammer.

And then even louder, like a crack of thunder as lightning strikes, the ground shifts beneath us. She whinnies and though I try to maintain my grip on her reins, she bucks me off and onto my back. I hit my head hard on the ground, the air being sucked right from my chest as my eyes grow dark, my body still trembling as the ground quakes beneath me.

* * *

><p>"<em>Will you tell me everything?"<em>

_ He grins, "I'll tell you the best parts."_

_ I nod, "Okay."_

_ I sit with my legs crossed underneath our tree, the big one out by the side of the house that covers us when it gets too hot, and he tells me about being swallowed by a giant fish. I wrinkle my nose, this adventure sounding a bit more disgusting than the last. _

_ But I still don't say a word until he's finished, I still want to know every detail. Even about the Zora girl that he had to rescue. He blushes the tiniest bit when he talks about her, I wonder why he's embarrassed by her._

_ "It looked like that," he says after a long while, he'd been drawing a picture of a giant octorok for me. I'd never seen one, I'd only ever seen pictures of regular octoroks. _

_ "Ew!" I squeal, his depiction is grotesque to say the least; oozing tentacles, lifeless marble eyes, and a slurping mouth._

_ "You're lucky the picture doesn't smell like the real thing," he says, grimacing down at the drawing before he flips the paper over, carelessly doodling on the other side as he lays on his stomach._

_ I lay down beside him, watching over his shoulder. "I didn't notice that you wrote with your left hand," I tell him._

_ He looks at me, his eyebrows pulled together. I nudge him with my arm, his face is so close to mine that I can feel him breathing on me. "What do you mean? What hand do you write with?" he asks me as he shifts over an inch._

_ I hold up my right hand. He smirks, taking up the challenge immediately and swapping the pencil into his right hand. We giggle as he attempts to continue his drawing, though his lines are crooked now, his hand fumbling over the paper. "What's that supposed to be?" I ask, my cheeks red from laughing._

_ "It's my home," he says, "it's inside of a big tree."_

_ He trades back to his good hand, making the lines sharper so that the picture makes more sense._

_ "Do you miss it?"_

_ He shrugs a shoulder. He doesn't give any other answer._

_ Instead he shows me the boomerang that he found inside the great fish, explaining how to throw it to make it return into my hands. When he lets me try though, it ends up bouncing off the ground. He smiles and I push him, frowning at his attempt to hide it. "I'm sure you didn't get it your first try," I pout._

_ "Here," he says, that stupid grin still on his face. He picks up a rock and puts it in my hand, "Maybe you should practice throwing with something a little less fragile."_

_ I growl at him, "I can throw just fine!" I mutter as I hurl the rock towards one of the high stone walls, though it slips off my fingers at the last second, spinning to our right towards the barn. _

_ I gasp as we're met with the shattering of glass._

* * *

><p>Rumbling... distant rumbling. It's the first thing my conscious mind can process. I blink a few times, the blurriness in my eyes receding. Snow falls from the sky still, prickling against my skin. The cold seeps through my cloak, chills running over my body. I sit up, trying to gather as much air in my lungs as possible as I do so. The ground shifts beneath me though, and I find it difficult to regain balance on my feet, especially on the slippery earth. I hold a hand out in case I need to brace myself as I stumble towards my panicking horse, just a few feet from where I landed.<p>

I can barely stand still from the pounding in the back of my head, but the random quaking in the ground makes it that much harder. I lay a gentle hand on the horse's face, quieting her nervous whinnies as I whisper a few soft words to her.

"Let's go home, let's go," I say as I hoist myself onto her back.

She eases into a careful trot, the trembling in the ground far less violent now though she still stumbles once or twice as a quake rolls across the land. I look towards the castle and find that it's still standing, breathing a sigh of relief to know that Link is okay, but there's dust rising from the town, a growing stain against the white clouds, buildings collapsing.

But the ranch... is it still standing? I don't know if my dad and Ingo are safe.

My hearts starts to thump hard, as I try to coax my horse into going any faster. The quakes are fewer and further apart now, she takes confidence in that as she begins to gallop towards our home.

I stop breathing in anxious anticipation as I round the corner up to the ranch. My heart is still beating erratically, though I breathe a sigh of relief. One of the outer walls of the barn has collapsed, the windows to our house are cracked or shattered, and part of the roof has caved in slightly. But nothing detrimental has happened, the house is still standing.

I open the door, finding that it sticks from the shifting walls and door frames, and settle my eyes upon a relieving sight: Dad and Ingo sit beneath the table, shock and joy touching their eyes.

"Malon!" Dad shouts, escaping from his safe haven to crush me into his arms. "I was so worried."

"I'm alright," I murmur into his shoulder, scanning the room to find toppled over furniture, broken plates and glasses on the floor. "Are you guys okay?"

He nods, stepping back and looking at my face, taking my chin between his thumb and index finger, analyzing my condition. "I haven't felt an earthquake in Hyrule since I was a child, and even then it was just a slight rumble," he murmurs.

"As long as everyone's safe, we're going to be fine," I mutter, removing my hood and allowing my damp hair to spill out around my face as I look towards my bedroom. I wonder the kind of condition it's in from the collapsing roof. I begin to wander towards the staircase, my father watching me wearily.

"Malon, don't go up there, it's dangerous," he warns.

"Don't worry," I say quietly, finding that the upstairs door swings open easy enough. The corner by our bed is covered in dust, wood bent out of place within the walls, splinters ripping through the wallpaper. Our dresser is knocked over, it's contents spilled on the floor, including Link's picture he drew me and the letter he left beneath his pillow. I'm glad now that I'd tucked it away... if it was still on our bed it could be buried there.

And then I find what I'm looking for; the moonstone necklace lays amongst a scattered lake of frosted glass on the floor. The ground beneath me shakes ever so slightly as I crouch to pick it up, snow lazily drifting through the broken window and dust settling on my head and shoulders. I wait, fearing the movement of breathing as it passes over, the house ceasing it's motion once more.

I hold the moonstone tight in my palm, slipping it safely away into a pocket, and turn towards the pieces of paper laying on the floor, the light breeze that seeps through the broken window causing them to flit across the wood slightly. I press my fingers to the picture, trapping it against the floor, and lift it into my hand, a memory of the tears I had shed for it returning to my eyes.

My eyes pause on the child's hand in the picture, holding onto the fingers of an adult that reaches out to them. The moonstone necklace is strung over the larger hand, so I'm sure that he intended for it to be mine... and for the child's to be our daughter's. Sometimes I imagine her holding my hand like she is in the picture.

I put the letter away into my pocket too, keeping it safe there.

These are the only things in this room that matter enough to me.

* * *

><p><em>He did come back, just like he said he would. <em>

_ Daddy fixes his hand. It's all red and bleeding and he tries not to cry when Daddy cleans the blood off and wraps his hand in white bandages. My dad makes me leave the room after a while, it upsets me when Link begs Daddy to stop._

_ He goes to sleep in my room that night, and we make a bed for me on the ground downstairs. I can't sleep though, because I can hear footsteps from up in my room._

_ I tip-toe out of bed, climbing up the stairs and open the door. Link is standing by the window, his fairy resting on the window sill. He doesn't turn around as I walk up behind him and look out the window to try and find what he was looking at._

_ "I don't know what to do now," he whispers after a long time._

_ I glance at him, he looks confused. "What happened?" I ask, shifting my gaze to the club of white bandage._

_ "I burned it," he whispers._

_ I nod, looking back out the window. My fingers tingle, aching for his pain. There are no stars out tonight, the world is grey. "I have an idea," I say._

_ I can see him watching me from the corner of my eye, waiting for an answer. _

_ I don't look at him but I say, "You can stay here until you know what to do."_

_ When I finally look at him, I think I see him smile. I've never seen him smile before._

* * *

><p><em>He stays while his hand gets better. It still looks awful, all scabbed and blotchy, but he says it feels better. He helps me do my chores, and we talk and laugh and play games. We play with sticks and pretend that we're knights. Link doesn't play with the sword from his home, and sometimes I forget that he actually does fight monsters.<em>

_ He tells me all about his journey. He tells me about the Great Deku Tree, and how he was killed by of the evil inside of him. He tells me all about the gorons and how they gave him their ruby for defeating the dodongos. He tells me about the Princess and an evil man they're trying to stop._

_ He has two stones already, and he says he has one more to get. He stays at the ranch for a week while his hand heals._

_ We play in the barn while it's raining one day. It's cold outside, so I wear a thick sweater, though my feet are still bare, my toes cold. Link wears long pants and a long sleeved blue tunic, clothes my dad has still held onto from when he was young. He looks so different in these clothes, I've become used to only seeing him in that green tunic and hat. He looks like any other boy I might see at the market. Daddy is asleep in the house and doesn't want to be woken, but we can laugh and talk in here. The cows don't like it when it rains. They get restless, and want to be outside. Many of them are skittish, and while I know to keep my distance when they're like this, Link doesn't. _

_ I lean against one of the posts of the stalls while I tell him about the festival that comes to Castle Town every year, and show him the broach I got from it last year. It'll happen again in a few months, during the fall. I tell him to come with me._

_ He listens intently while he sits on one of the low bars of the stall, resting his chin and dangling his arms over the middle bar. He's so close to them I don't have time to tell him to move when one of the cows acts up and jerks her leg at him, catching him hard in the side. I gasp as he cries out in pain, rolling onto his back as he's knocked off the stall. He clutches his side, small gasping sounds coming from his mouth, ragged breathing, like his lungs aren't working._

_ I panic, and leave him there just long enough to drag my father in to help him, explaining what happened in a terrified rush._

_ "Is he dead?" I ask my dad while he leans over Link's body, no sound coming from his mouth._

_ "No Malon," he mutters. "Link... try and take a deep breath... that's it, good boy."_

_ I jump, a tear falling from my eye straight to the ground when a horrible sound comes from Link's mouth, a combination of him gasping for air when he can finally breathe, and pure agony. His heels dig into the floor, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides as he cries out, my dad trying to lift Link's shirt up so he can see the damage. _

_ There's already red and purple bruising on the right side of his ribcage, and my dad is careful not to touch it. Link doesn't look at it, his head rolls to the side, his tears trailing over his nose though he manages to keep quiet now, his lips twitching and his forehead scrunching when my dad gently prods at him. I wonder what Link is looking at._

_ He lays in bed for a few days after. Dad says that he probably has a broken rib, and he wraps a bandage tight around Link's upper stomach where the bruising is. Sometimes when he's resting I go up and lay on my bed beside him and wait for him to wake up. _

_ The only time I fall asleep beside him, he's gone when I wake. The bandage from his hand lays in a crumpled heap on my dresser._

_ I hug my knees to my chest and wait through the rainy days for him to come back. Dad tells me he will. He believes in him—sometimes I'll catch him listening as Link tells me stories over the dinner table while Dad cooks us something to eat. He'll watch over our shoulders as Link draws pictures of the places he went and the creatures he saw._

_ After two days the clouds break, the sun drying the ground enough that I can play outside. I don't think about him as much when I'm outside. I sit underneath my favorite tree, humming songs and drawing pictures. I can't draw as good as Link does._

_ After two days of rain, he comes back to me. He sleeps inside, his eyes look so tired, shadowed by violet circles as he dreams. I sit on the bed beside him, reading a book silently to myself, shifting my gaze to him whenever he readjusts._

_ We don't play when he wakes up, he's still tired, but he isn't hurt. I'm glad._

_ The tree that has become our favorite place shades us from the sun one morning while Dad is still inside. He leans his head against the tree trunk, his eyes closed. Those purple circles haven't gone away yet, but there's a small smile on his lips. He looks happy again. _

_ "Did you get the stone?" I ask him quietly, knowing by the way his breathing sounds that he's not asleep._

_ He nods, his eyes still closed._

_ "Will you tell me everything?" I ask. He opens his eyes and turns his face towards me. His eyes look like a spot of blue sky behind dark grey clouds._

_ He grins, "I'll tell you the best parts."_

* * *

><p>The tremors have finally ceased. Dad and Ingo check on the cows and horses to make sure they're alright inside the barn. Some of them are injured, but nothing serious. They tend to them while I take my few possessions reclaimed from my room in hand, and pad through the snow to our tree.<p>

I find the hollow spot in the tree where a branch had once grown, a branch that snapped and broke off during a major wind storm when I was sixteen. I fold up the picture that Link drew of our hands, the one he drew before he left, and nestle it inside. The wind and the snow won't reach it in here.

Then I unfold Link's note that has become worn from all the times I'd folded and unfolded it, reading those words I've almost memorized, the ones I've read over and over again to hold onto him. I open it one last time and trace my eyes over the words that have become a comfort to me:

_Mal,_

_I hope you find this after I've left. And I hope you can forgive me for leaving. It was selfish of me, leaving you alone here. I know these last few months have been so very hard, I know it was only in June that we lost our baby. But I don't think she ever really left. Sometimes I dream of her, holding my hand and saying that she'll be alright. Her voice is so beautiful, Mal. She sounds just like you did._

_ I know she's above us right now, and so if you're scared or alone, tell her to wake me, and you can know that I'll stay up until you fall asleep. _

_ I love you, and I know she does too. Sometimes I think that sleep is the time where we can go to the places they live. So if you can find sleep tonight, know that you'll be safe there with our baby. Nothing will ever touch you._

I smile, touching my lips to the soft, weathered paper, and tuck it into the hole in the tree beside the picture.

Last, I hang the necklace, the one with the moonstone on one of the branches. It catches the cold blue and glimmers in the filtered light. Her birthstone, carefully dangling above the place where she sleeps. Where she'll sleep until Link and I find her again. I wipe a cold tear that has managed to slip down my cheek away with the back of my hand.

She should be warm in my arms, not sealed in the cold ground.

I take a step back, remembering standing in this exact spot, holding her frail body, wrapped in white cloth as Link dug a grave amongst the roots of the tree for her. She was almost small enough that Link could hold her in one palm. Link held me on our bed for the rest of the day, the night, and the day after while I cried. I got to feeling hollow in that time. Sometimes I didn't know if it was real, if I was crying or not, if I was awake or not.

Dad watched from a distance. He watched while I sat in a chair, a blanket draped over my shoulders as I gazed with a blank, glassy stare through the window, waiting for Link to come back when he left. It's hard to admit how broken I was.

Link went away to escape it, I escaped inside myself.

I could see the change in the set of Dad's shoulders when I began to speak again, eat dinner at the dinner table. He was so... _relieved_ that I was doing better, he did everything possible to hold onto that. I could see why his attitude had changed. I could see in the mirror that I was coming back.

Link never really did. He was just better at hiding it.

He was the one that wanted her so badly. I was always afraid that my illness would be passed onto any child of mine. I had tried to be careful, I told Link about my worries, and though I could see how much pain it brought him – the knowledge he might never have a child – he respected it.

He came home from some time away in January, Dad and Ingo had been away on a delivery. He came through our front door with rosy cheeks from the cold, snowflakes still in his hair. It was late, I was just in my nightgown with a blanket wrapped around me. There was something afraid in his eyes as he laid down in bed beside me, something so unsure about the way he touched my leg. His fingers trembled, like he thought we was going to hurt me. I put my hand over top of his, and moved his hand up to my thigh. I felt his breath hitch as I brought my lips to his, missing the way his skin felt against mine.

It wasn't the first time since we'd been married that he had touched me like this, held me with nothing between us. But something felt so desperate about it. After, when I lay curled around his body with my face nestled in the hollow between his shoulder blades, I felt afraid that something was wrong.

I woke alone the next morning, my clothes still on the floor, though his were missing. I began to cry with my hand covering my mouth to keep the sounds silent, even though there wasn't a single other person in the house. In our haste we hadn't been careful.

With every day that passed I knew that something had changed within me. And after a few weeks, I was certain. When I told Link, I cried, I covered my face with my hands until he took mine in his own. His eyes were red, tears gathered in them, but they were happy. His lips quivered into a smile and he embraced me, all my fears ceased. Every time he would kiss my stomach, talk to our baby, unconsciously settle his palm over the bump on my abdomen as we spoke, I felt a little more brave.

I miss Link when I sleep that night, on the floor in the kitchen because of the caving roof upstairs. I vaguely think that he should be home already, but know that because of the earthquake he was probably forced to stay in Castle Town. He was probably helping the people there. But I don't think about it too much, the sore spot where I'd hit my head when I'd fallen today pulling away any thoughts other than the presence of a dull throbbing.

I wake up in the night with a sore throat, the exposure to the cold from the day making my chest ache. I make myself a cup of tea, trying to keep quiet enough that Dad and Ingo don't wake. I don't let the water boil, the kettle whistle. It is only lukewarm when I drink it, but the mint leaves soothe the burning in my throat. I look out the window as I settle my empty cup on the counter, finding a lone star in the midst of passing clouds. I send a prayer to my daughter, telling her not to wake Link, that I'll be alright, but telling her I love her. Telling her to let him know I love him too.

I fall asleep again, dreaming of white shores and violet skies that watch a blazing sun disappear. I wonder if this is the place where our daughter sleeps. If this is the place Link spoke of.

* * *

><p><em>"And what's your name?" <em>

_ His eyes find mine, "Link."_

_ Link. He has such blue eyes, they remind me of that color in between the morning and the evening sky, the blue we don't see very often._

_ Dad lets him stay over night, letting him sleep by the fire until it stops raining. He asks Link if his parents will be worried. Link just shakes his head._

_ When Dad tucks me in that night I explain to him about Link's parents, or, the fact that he doesn't got any. Daddy looks confused, but he doesn't ask any questions._

_ I wake up to the sun shining in through my windows, the song birds chirping over the sound of water dripping from the tree tops. It's quiet, Daddy and Mr. Ingo are still sleeping. But I creep out of bed, perching at the top of the stairs and searching down towards the bed Daddy had made up for Link. Instead I find his blankets and pillow folded in a small pile against the wall. _

_ He hasn't left yet though, he's in the kitchen, looking through our cupboards and taking out pieces of dried meat and fruit and stowing them inside his bag. I tip-toe down the stairs, watching as he spins around when I step on a creaky floorboard._

_ "What are you doing?" I whisper._

_ "I have to go," he whispers back. He puts the apple that had been in his hand back, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be taking this."_

_ "Take it," I tell him, putting the apple back in his hand. _

_ He doesn't wait for an explanation, just puts the fruit inside his bag._

_ "Where are you going?" I ask him as he stands up and pushes gently past me to the door._

_ He pauses with his hand on the doorknob. "I'll explain when I come back, alright?"_

_ "You will come back then?" I ask him._

_ He turns to look at me once more and nods, his eyes falling._

_ I don't know why, but I have to tell myself not to cry when he leaves. I don't know him well, in fact, I hardly know him at all._

_ But I worry for him. I worry for him above all else._

_ The boy without parents, without a real home. The boy with the fairy._

_ The boy who wants to keep me. And maybe... I want to keep him too._

_ For two days I think about the boy that stayed here, Link. I say his name out loud to myself when I'm alone, just to make sure that I remember it. I don't know when he'll come back, but I know that when he does, I'll be happy. I think he and I are friends, I like having a friend. It's like having a responsibility._

_ He stumbles into the ranch almost three days later, cradling his hand against his chest. There are streaks down his face, dirt on his cheeks. For a second I'm terrified as I rush to his side, his hand covered in blood. But then I know that he's going to be okay, and I know that when he's better, he'll be here._

_ He did come back, just like he said he would._

* * *

><p>"You used to sleep wherever it was convenient at the time. I can't believe that after one night on the ground you're in so much pain."<p>

Dad waggles a finger at me, his other hand pressed against his lower back, "I am not as young as I once was."

"I still don't think you were young enough to fall asleep against a crate of milk while your poor daughter had to fend for herself," I joke. I'm glad I can joke again.

"That was one time," he defends, "and who knows, if I hadn't fallen asleep, you may have never met Link."

I pause, chewing on the inside of my lip as a shy smile quirks about my mouth.

Dad grins, his eyes narrowed, "No need to thank me."

"As sentimental as this is, there are still cows to milk and cream to churn," Ingo interrupts, pushing past Dad with an armful of blankets he's stowing away in a closet.

"Alright, alright," Dad sighs, "Mal, if you're not feeling well, come get me before you have to think twice, got it?"

"Dad, do I look like I'm sick?" I ask, hands on hips, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well... no, but–"

I take his wrist in my grasp before he can continue, pressing the back of his hand to my forehead, "Do I feel sick?"

He rolls his eyes, "No."

"Then I'll be fine for a few hours. I'll tidy up as best I can around here," I assure him.

"Don't go upstairs," he reminds me.

"I won't."

"Alright, sweetie. See you in a little while," he murmurs, leaning forward to press a firm kiss to my forehead.

I return to the table after he's left, finding the tunic Link had discarded there, the one he was trying to mend. I pick up the needle and thread and sit down, working quietly. I should have this finished for him by the time he gets back. Which I hope is soon.

It should be soon.

I'm finishing the last few stitches when I hear a sound that makes my heart stop for a moment. Heat rushes to my face, excitement and relief battling each other for control of my emotions as I hear hooves against the ground outside. I wait planted in my seat, debating on whether I should greet him at the door, or wait for him to come wrap his arms around me at the table.

Yes, feign nonchalance as I patiently await him at the table, I decide with a smirk. Let him do the work. I grin to myself as I wait, the needle trembling in my grasp to the point where I can't make it find where my mind wants it to go.

In just moments he'll be back for good. In moments I'll be holding him tight around his neck, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. Maybe the doctor will be wrong, and I'll get healthy again. Maybe I'll be healthy just long enough to see him happy.

The door doesn't swing open like I expected, instead there's a knock on the solid wood. I turn around in my chair and stare at it with furrowed brows. He knows it's open, why doesn't he just open the door and come back to me?

The knocking persists, this time with more desperation.

I stand up, wiping my palms on my skirt before I tread carefully over to the door, wondering why he would be doing this, and interrupting a third knock as I twist the doorknob carefully in my trembling grasp.

But I don't find his face when I open the door, I find a very different one altogether. Their wide, crystal-blue eyes full of panic, though the rest of their face is like porcelain, and refusing to show any emotions.

I'm too shocked for formalities, I do not bow, I do not wait for her to speak first.

"Zelda?"

She blinks only once before she says in a curt tone, "You have to come with me."

I open my mouth, though no words dare to pass my lips, my feet planted to the floor as I glance past her. She's alone, only her snowy horse behind her.

She reaches towards my wrist and takes it in her gloved hand. "Please, we don't have much time," she murmurs urgently.

Before I can possibly begin to think about what I'm doing, thousands of thoughts swirling through my head about what she could be doing here and why she would be wanting me, I wrench my hand away from her. "Tell me what you want," I demand, fear resounding clearly in my voice.

"Malon, I will explain on the way," she says quickly, her eyes still a flurry of panic though her face barely changes. "We must make haste–"

"Wait, what's wrong? Why... why are you here? Where's Link?" I ask, retreating a step back into my house to avoid her grasp once more, my heart pounding.

She swallows at the mention of his name, a small gesture that makes my stomach drop. "He's at the castle," she begins, "he's why I'm here."

It's then that I notice the quavering note in her voice, the one she'd never held when we'd spoken before. She is afraid, maybe as much as I am though she's better at disguising it.

I feel tears begin to form in my eyes, my chin trembling, "Is... h-he alright?"

She clenches her jaw and diverts her gaze to the floor. My heart clenches inside my chest as she shakes her head once.

"No... no, he's not."

* * *

><p><strong>If you want to see the picture Link drew, it's on the website! leavenodoubt1432 dot tumblr dot com<strong>

**Also, as this story is drawing to a close, let me know if there's a specific pairing you'd like me to write about in my next story or if there's a certain game! Pm me or leave an idea in your review :)**


	14. Part II: Your Song

**Final chapter. No epilogues, nothing more after this. Y'all ready?**

**Firstly, big thanks to everyone who stuck with this all the way through. If you liked it, like I said in the pervious chapter, I would highly recommend going back and re-reading the story. I think you'll find there are sooo many parts that will make more sense now that you know everything.**

**This final installment is named after Ellie Goulding's rendition of "Your Song." Here's a link if you're too lazy: youtube dot com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE Seriously. Everyone should listen to this. So gorgeous.**

**There's a part in this chapter where I write lyrics to a lullaby that Malon is singing. Here's the link to that song, Mindy Gledhill's rendition of Golden Slumbers: youtube dot com/watch?v=ldx_eCvsrgk**

**I don't mean to bombard you guys with links, but I made a little tribute video to SS, and would love it if you took a couple minutes to watch :) youtube dot com/watch?v=80CsTzfRHjw&feature=channel**

**Hoenn Master96: alas, here is the end. I think you'll find the truth in that quote in this chapter :) I hope you find the end satisfying. And I hope sometime soon when I'm less busy I'll find the time to read your story. I have been reading Paradise Calling however, and really enjoy it.**

**dippychick16: I tried to get this up here is quick as I could. Hope this makes up for the terrible ending!**

**tiger7201: Hmm.. I'm going to have a hard time taking anything you say seriously now. I don't think I've talked to a single person who thought that The Hunger Games was less that adequate. I personally loved it. Well, we'll see if your feelings are correct, but I'm not usually one to take the cliche route.**

**Anyways, thanks a lot guys. If you have any ideas for me, hit me with them!**

* * *

><p>Her words don't seem to make sense. I try to repeat them to myself but still there is something off about them. "I... I don't understand," I manage to say though my voice sounds distant to my own ears.<p>

"You have to come with me right now," she begins.

"Stop!" I say abruptly as she reaches toward me again. She looks startled but backs slowly away, her eyes growing somber. I swallow, my hands shaking, my legs ready to give out. "Is he alive?"

She doesn't look at me as she bites her lip. "I don't want to get your hopes up... but yes, he is alive."

"What do you mean by that... you don't want to get my hopes up...?" I ask, trying to hold onto whatever hope I have that he's okay.

Her lips set in a hard line, her eyes glossing over slightly, "There was an accident."

My lips tremble, my heart breaking. "An accident?"

She nods once, "There were buildings in town that collapsed during the earthquake... and there were quite a few casualties. He was one of them."

I shake my head, refusing to believe her as I cover my mouth with my hand. _No. How could this happen?_

"They found his body inside the orphanage. One of the children said he'd gone in to help the ones that were trapped. Then one of the beams in the roof collapsed. They found him with his legs pinned beneath the wooden beam, the rest of him buried in the wreckage," she explains gently, the gloss in her eyes turning into tears. She's still trying to be strong.

"B-but you said he was alive, where is he?" I ask, my throat feeling as though it's closing, everything seems distant now. This isn't happening, this isn't real.

"He _is_ alive. He's at the castle right now like I said, but he isn't doing well."

"Is he awake?" I ask, the tears rolling down my cheeks, my stomach aching.

She shakes her head again, her voice freely shaking when she speaks. "He was unconscious when they found him. The doctors said that the lower half of his body is crushed, his spinal column is shattered, his skull is fractured so they think he might have bleeding within his brain. They don't know why, but his body is holding on when it shouldn't be holding on."

I press my hand to my heart, my stomach churning. I turn away from her, everything spinning as I stumble towards the washroom, shutting the door and staring at my reflection in the mirror above the wash basin. My eyes are glazed over, hopelessly staring back at me. I brace myself against the counter as I drag in air through my mouth though the room seems too hot, too stuffy. My lungs feel compressed within my chest, I can't breathe.

And then the blockade in my throat bursts, and a pained sob swallows the silence.

I lean back against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut as desperate cries echo from my mouth, before my legs finally give and I slide to the floor.

Don't do this to me again. Not again.

I hit the back of my head against the wall, over and over and over, wishing I could black out, start over. Link can't be gone, my baby can't be gone. _Don't leave me here._

The door opens then, Zelda crouching down by my side and wrapping her arms around my neck, her body quivering as she lets out restrained cries, mindless questions coming from my mouth as I put my arms around her waist. I sob past her hair, asking why? Why would they do this to him?

"Oh, Goddesses..." I cry out, trailing off as I weep.

"I'm so sorry," Zelda whispers, her voice hoarse, her body shaking, "I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p>"<em>It seems like Epona is afraid of you, Fairy Boy..."<em>

_ He watches as Epona runs off away from us. There is a song that my mother once sang, a song that I like to sing for Epona. It calms her down, makes her happy. I begin to sing, and that boy turns around and watches me with an odd expression on his face, like he's confused. I stop singing, feeling a little embarrassed, my cheeks warm. _

_ I tell him my mother wrote it, but I don't tell him that she's gone now. _

_ "Are you a song bird?" he asks me._

_ I laugh, "A what?"_

_ "A song bird."_

_ I shake my head, "Do you think I'm a song bird?"_

_ He nods, taking something out of his pocket before looking back up at me. "Teach me," he says quietly._

_ He holds an ocarina, I've only ever seen one at the market during the fall fair. I wonder where he got one living in the forest. "Are you going to play this song with that ocarina?" I ask him, immediately curious._

_ He puts the ocarina to his lips, waiting._

_ I nod once, clearing my throat before I let the song pass my lips again. I pause for a moment as the notes I'd just sung, echo from his ocarina. I smile, letting out a giggle. He learns quickly._

_ Epona nudges her nose into his back, and he jumps, startled as I laugh at his reaction. His panic turns into relief when he realizes that she's just sniffing him, nuzzling her face against his shoulder. I think she likes him because he played the song, not because he smells good. He pets her mane, her breath making his hair flutter against his forehead, and lets out a shaky breath. _

_ "Your dad told me something," he says quietly, still looking at Epona._

_ "What did he tell you?" I ask, pursing my lips._

_ His eyes find mine, something in my heart hurts when he looks at me. "That I could marry you."_

_ I scrunch up my face, my heart beating fast. "Silly Dad," I say._

_ "You don't want to marry me?" he asks, not offended, but just curious._

_ "I'm only nine, I can't marry you," I explain, my hands on my hips._

_ He turns back to Epona, petting her face, speaking softly... so softly I have to strain to listen, "But when we're both taller... older... you could marry me."_

_ "I guess so," I say, taking a step towards him and resting my hand on Epona's back._

_ "And I could keep you?" he asks. He's so strange, I wonder if he doesn't know what being married means._

_ I watch him and wait until he peeks up, "You can only keep me if you love me."_

_ His brow furrows only slightly, like he's concentrating. "If I tell you I love you, you'll let me keep you forever?"_

_ He doesn't take his eyes away from me as I nod once._

_ "Malon!" It's my dad calling from outside the corral. "Dinner time!"_

_ "I should go," I say to the boy._

_ He nods, following me to my door and then continuing on with one last glance at me. I wonder if he's going back to the forest, what he'll do afterward. I watch him go before I turn back inside to my dinner, watching the boy who's name I don't even know, the boy who wants to keep me._

* * *

><p>"<em>Fairy Boy, are you alright?" <em>

_ He doesn't answer, just stands in my doorway, shivering._

_ "Malon, close the door, it's rain–" my dad begins, stopping when he sees the funny boy in green standing just outside._

_ "It's that boy I met at the market, the one that helped me when I couldn't find you," I say, looking up at my dad's face._

_ "Is something wrong, son?" Dad asks the fairy boy, "Shouldn't you get home to your parents?"_

_ He shakes his head, drops of water falling from his hair onto his face._

_ Daddy frowns slightly, taking the boy's shoulder in his hand and urging him inside, "Well, get inside before you freeze. I don't want your father showing up with a knife in hand when you go home with pneumonia."_

_ That boy makes a funny face, like he doesn't understand that Daddy is just being a joking boy. _

_ "Malon, sit him down by the fire so he can dry off, will yeh?" Daddy asks me. I nod at him and look towards the fairy boy, but he's looking at the ground, trembling. I take his hand and he looks up at me, his eyes wide. _

_ "Are you alright?" I ask him._

_ He bites his lip, "It was too far to go back home. It started to rain..."_

_ "It's okay," I tell him as we settle down in front of the fireplace, "you can stay here until the rain stops."_

_ "I don't have parents," he tells me all of a sudden, his voice quiet. His eyes are fixed on the flames._

_ I nod, "Because you said you're one of the forest children, right?"_

_ He looks up at me, "Yeah."_

_ He takes his hat in his hands, holding it closer to the fire to try and dry it off. His fairy flits out from beneath it and rests on his shoulder. She's so pretty, a blue glow surrounding her. "What's her name?" I ask, nodding towards her._

_ "Navi," he answers, looking forward._

_ "And what's your name?" I ask, realizing that I'd told him my name in town, but he'd never told me his._

_ His eyes find mine, "Link."_

* * *

><p>"Link..."<p>

I nod, collapsing against my father as a wave of despair smothers me. He holds me tight, petting my hair back. I'm glad Zelda could be here to relay the message to him, I haven't been able to put an intelligible thought past my lips since she told me.

"Shh, sweetheart... everything is going to be alright," he murmurs, though there's an edge to his voice. Link was like a son to him. "No matter what happens, things will work out."

"I'll take you to him... but we must hurry," Zelda says quietly.

My father pushes me back gently, nodding at me once and I can see that his eyes are flooded, "Go."

I nod my head and follow Zelda back out across the snow to her horse.

"How do you know..." I begin, my feet seem to be moving of their own accord.

"How do I know what?" she asks gently.

"That he's still alive," I continue, my voice breaking.

She holds up her hand to me, the Triforce laid onto her skin like a birthmark just like Link's. "I've always felt this connection to him, I can feel him alive right now... but he's barely there. His life is dwindling," she murmurs, moisture building in her eyes again.

I blink, the tears in my eyes streaming down my face and leaving behind a cold trail as we cross the field covered in frigid snow, my cloak pulled on though my hands remain bare. She hands me the gloves she'd been holding and gestures for me to put them on. I don't argue.

She climbs onto her horse, waiting for me to take one of my own, but I pause. "What if we don't make it?" I ask anxiously, my fears crawling in and overtaking any rationality in my brain.

Zelda turns her clear blue eyes to me, "That's why we have to hurry."

The ride feels as though it won't end, and with every step closer to the castle, my heart hurts a little more, realization hitting me that the boy I love is very close to death right now. I close my eyes for a brief moment and send a prayer to my daughter, telling her to tell her daddy to hold on.

The town is in greater ruins than I'd expected, most of the houses have boarded up windows, caving roofs. And then I see it, the wreckage of what was once the old orphanage. The wreckage of the building he was pulled from. I bite my lip and try to keep from letting the hot beads of moisture in my eyes blur my vision again.

It isn't any use though by the time we reach the hospital wing, my cheeks are tear stained, my chest aching as I suck in stuttered breaths. My hands are shaking violently when I reach towards the door handle, but Zelda stops me and opens it herself, squeezing my arm reassuringly though I can see that she's attempting to hide her own emotion.

And then I see him laying there... motionless, cold, his face placid. I swallow back all the hurting inside of me long enough to walk on shaking legs over to his bedside.

I cover my mouth with my hands, a sob bursting past my lips before I can even think to stop it. From his right cheekbone up to the center of his forehead is completely purple and bruised, a crimson slash over his eyebrow though someone has stitched it up. His nose is crooked, clearly broken, and giving him bruises beneath each of his eyes—from afar it looks as though a butterfly has settled itself on the bridge of his nose and spread it's crimson and violet wings. His bottom lip is split with a scratch that stretches down to the divot in his chin, though the softness of his mouth still manages to give off the impression that he's lost in a pleasant dream. The golden honey color of his hair has faded to a pale, ashy blonde, further proof that his life is being stripped from him.

Bruises cover what part of his chest I can see. He isn't wearing a shirt, much of his body bandaged up while the thin hospital blanket covers his lower half. I don't want to even see his legs from what Zelda told me. This is painful enough.

"I'm sorry miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to move along," a doctor murmurs to me, taking my bicep in his gentle grasp. I glance at him, panicked, confused, a sick feeling in my stomach.

"This is his wife," Zelda interrupts, resting her hand on the doctor's, "she can be here as long as she wants."

He lets go of me so fast it's as if I'm on fire. "Oh... please forgive me," he mutters, looking down and then once at Link. "I uh... I'm so truly sorry about your husband."

I barely hear him, kneeling down beside Link's bed once the doctor backs out of my way. With shaking fingers, I slip my hand into his that lays still by his side. His skin is cold to the touch, but there is still warm blood beneath the surface, his chest rising and falling slightly as he takes shallow breaths. I suck in a sharp breath, the result of attempting to suppress the agony and press my lips to his knuckles. "I'm so sorry, darling, this is my fault," I whisper in a broken voice.

I lay my head on the mattress, tangling my fingers in his, wishing that they'd grip mine back.

"...Has he been doing any better?" Zelda asks the doctor in a murmur behind me.

"It's difficult to say... with the extent of his injuries, he shouldn't be alive right now," he replies.

"Do you think he'll wake up?" she asks.

He pauses, and I can hear him fidgeting nervously. "If he ever did... he would most likely be paralyzed. And I wouldn't doubt that he'd have serious brain damage."

I try to keep silent as I press my lips together, squeezing my eyes shut as tears roll down my face. It's almost impossible to admit to myself, but he would be better off if he didn't wake up.

The doctor walks off once again leaving Zelda and I alone with Link. I jump slightly at the touch of her hand on my shoulder, turning around with blurry eyes to find her watching me. "These were the belongings he was found with," she murmurs, handing me his pack, "you should have them."

She pulls up a chair and sits beside me, watching as I clutch the bag close to me, the smell of his clothes still lingers on it.

"I just want you to know... if worse comes to worst... I'll pay for someone to help you at the ranch, I'll pay for your ranch to stay open," Zelda says, sorrow twisting her usually flawless features.

"You don't have to do that," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

She nods vigorously, her forehead wrinkled in despair, "Yes I do. This, everything that's happened, it's my fault. If I wouldn't have made him come with me, if I wouldn't have–"

"Stop," I demand in a whisper, my eyelids sealed shut.

"Please let me help you," she begs, "I'll make sure your family is taken care of, I'll pay for his burial, if it comes to that. He deserves a proper burial for what he did."

I shake my head, blinking away the moisture in my eyes for when I turn to look at her. "I want him to be buried at the ranch... by his daughter," I explain softly.

Zelda's brow twitches slightly, "...His daughter?"

I nod again, "She was born three months early... back in June. She only lived for eight hours."

She touches her fingers briefly to her lips, "I'm so sorry."

"It was in June... I got really sick for a while, and started having contractions. I went into labor so early... the doctors thought the only way to possibly save my life was to have the baby," I begin, hiccuping and trying to keep my breathing steady. "I didn't even see her after she was born, they rushed her off to try and save her... they thought I was going to die, I know they did," I explain quietly, my voice raw, my fingers squeezing Link's hand tighter as they tremble, "I've never seen Link so at war with himself... trying to debate whether to stay with me or with our baby. I only held her once while she was alive... I only sang to her once."

Zelda remains watching me in silence.

"She died while I was sleeping... in Link's arms. He had to tell me when I woke up. I've never seen him so sad," I continue, wanting someone else to know, wanting to face the demons instead of shying away from them, trying to keep myself hidden.

Zelda clears her throat, swiping beneath her eyes with the back of her hand. "Did she have a name?"

I nod, the smallest smile turning the corners of my lips up, "Her name is Story."

Zelda's eyes light with the faintest happiness, "Like a story book."

"Yes," I murmur, smoothing my thumb over the top of Link's hand. "Link was always telling me stories, she was kind of like our story."

"It's beautiful," Zelda replies.

"Link always said that the angels didn't want to let her go. She had a birthmark on her face that looked just like a petite set of lips... like an angel had kissed her just before she was born," I recount quietly, kissing his fingers.

"The angels always take back the best ones too soon," Zelda agrees.

I nod, knowing there must be some truth in her words. My mother, Story, now maybe Link...

"They took back my mother too soon," she murmurs to herself, echoing my thoughts.

"Mine too," I say, my voice just above a whisper, a hiccup threatening to bubble past my lips, bringing on more tears.

"Your mother... did she look much like you?" Zelda asks slowly.

"So I've been told," I reply, "my father doesn't have any pictures of her."

"I think... I think I saw her," Zelda tells me.I look up at her, confused. She continues as if sensing my doubts, "When you were here the last time and we were speaking the morning Link and I left, when I touched your skin, I saw a little girl that looked just like you. She was probably seven or eight... the bluest eyes. I thought it was odd, because I've never seen visions of the past, only the future. But I don't think it was you, because her hair was a different color."

I furrow my brow. I'd always been told I had my mother's hair.

I feel the slightest pressure on my hand then, and I gasp, glancing over to see that Link's hand had twitched, squeezing mine slightly though only as a reflex. I let out the breath I had been holding, the hope that maybe he was waking up dissipating. His face is still placid, his eyes closed. The pure anguish returns to my face, the reality breaking through the ease of conversation. He's still hurt, he's still trying to cling to life. _Just stop,_ I want to tell him, _you don't have to try anymore._

"You never told me," Zelda says from behind me quietly, as if trying to redirect my attention, shoulder the sadness, "who Link stayed with... you, or Story."

I try my best to smile, though my lips just end up quivering. "Story," I say with a nod that causes the flood in my eyes to overflow, "he stayed with her. And I'm glad he did."

"Why?"

I swallow, my throat thick, my voice breaking as a new set of tears quickly take over for the past ones. "Because at least I know that for the eight hours that she was alive, my daughter wasn't alone."

* * *

><p>"<em>Malon... wake up."<em>

_ I open my eyes, confused at where I am as I squint in the bright light. It's morning. And I'm outside. Suddenly I'm being scooped up into strong arms, the smell of my daddy in my nose. "Where's... the fairy boy...?" I mumble, not awake completely yet._

_ Dad just makes a sound in his throat like he doesn't know what I'm talking about. I find my cloak once he sets me down in my spot in the wagon, and I fall asleep again, trying to remember what had been real and what had been a dream last night. I've always found in the early morning it's the hardest to tell them apart._

_ I wake up back in my bed at home, knowing for sure that the boy in green was real. When I crawl out of bed, I find Daddy sitting at the kitchen table writing something down. He looks sad when he finds me at the top of the stairs, "I'm so sorry, Mal."_

_ "Did the fairy boy find you?" I ask him. _

_ He nods once. "The kid in green? Yeah... Malon, I shouldn't have left you in town by yourself... and I'm uh, I'm sorry," he says again._

_ The hurt feeling that was inside of me when I couldn't find my dad vanishes. "It's okay Daddy, I'm not mad. I don't mind being alone sometimes," I tell him, walking the rest of the way down the stairs and coming to sit on his lap._

_ "Hey," he says, wrapping his arms around me and turning me partway towards him, "I know someone outside that's probably missed you."_

_ "Epona!" I exclaim._

_ "Better go see her," he says with a smile._

_ I hop off his leg and run out in my bare feet to see my horse. I hope Mr. Ingo has been taking care of her. She has to grow big and strong._

_ She's out in the middle of the corral, grazing by herself. She whinnies when she sees me running towards her, closing the distance between us and nuzzling her head into my arms. I smile, holding her face close to me and petting her mane back. _

_ "Hey, girl. Did you miss me lots?" I ask her, looking into her enormous dark eyes._

_ She snorts. I take it as a yes._

_ "Well don't worry, I won't be going anywhere for a while now," I tell her quietly. I start to sing her song, the one that calms her down, the one that makes her happy. _

_ She neighs so suddenly that it startles me, and I whirl around to seek out who she'd found. Just a few feet away from me is that same boy from the market._

_ "Oh, it's the fairy boy again!" I say, grinning at him. "I heard that you found my dad. How did you like the castle? Did you see the Princess?"_

_ He nods once. I giggle at him. He's such a strange boy, barely speaking. I turn and introduce him to Epona. He doesn't make any move towards her, doesn't try to pet her, but she runs off when I try to lead her over to him. She's still scared around most people, including Ingo and Dad. He looks confused as he watches her, turning to me with a question in his eyes though he won't say it out loud. His eyes are concerned like he's wondering if he did something wrong._

_ I just smile at him. "It seems like Epona is afraid of you, Fairy Boy..."_

* * *

><p>"Thank you," I say quietly as Zelda passes me a hot cup of tea, sitting down in her chair while I sit in mine by the head of Link's bed.<p>

She nods once, a somber smile gracing her lips as she delicately brings the china cup to her mouth. "If there's anything else I can do for you..." she trails off.

I offer a timid nod, "Thank you."

She takes a silent sip before lowering the cup just in front of her chin. "Has there been any change?" she asks.

I shake my head slightly, touching my fingers that carry the warmth of the tea to Link's hand. It's just as cool as before. "Why is he doing this?" I ask her gently, not allowing my voice to pass that of a whisper.

"Holding on?" she asks.

I nod, refusing to meet her eyes. There's still a part of me that's embarrassed to show how weak I am inside in front of her.

She pauses, taking another sip of her tea before staring into the dark liquid. "I think he's doing what he's been doing his whole life... he's trying to hold on when there is no hope." I look at his face, still placid beneath all the bruising. I want to tell him he doesn't have to anymore, but I'm too selfish to let him go. "He told me, you know," she says after some time.

"Told you what?" I ask, blinking away the moisture in my eyes.

"That you thought there was no hope for you," she replies.

I look down, finding his limp hand and keeping my eyes there. "There is no cure," I tell her almost silently, a choked feeling clamping itself around my throat.

"That morning you told me you were sick, that you believed you were going to die and you asked me to send Link back to his own time... why did you want that instead of telling him? Instead of having him beside you for the last days of your life?" she asks me.

"Because he would do just what you said; he would hold onto a hope, and then be let down," I explain, my voice breaking. When she doesn't respond I try to find something else to take my attention. I find another patient sitting across the room, cradling a broken arm against her chest. There is dust covering her small face, though her little white teeth still shine as she smiles at the many children surrounding her.

She's one of the orphans. Maybe one that Link pulled from the wreckage. But that is not why my gaze lingers on her.

She's the same little girl that Link and I met in the street with the yellow dress. Lucy.

"Actually, there is one thing I want to ask of you... though I don't know how," I tell Zelda quietly, my eyes still focused on Lucy.

"Of course, anything," Zelda says softly.

I lower my gaze to Link before returning it to her. "In one of the eastern countries you visited, the one along the Great Snake River... there is a little girl named Sol," I explain slowly.

"The little girl Link met," she says, knowing the name immediately. "He was always spending more time with the children and the locals than with the politicians and me." She grins to herself at the memory.

"Her grandmother, she wanted Link to take her back to Hyrule, to take care of her... but now that's not possible... and I... and I can't care for her because I don't know how long... will you...?" I trail off, hoping she'll pick up on my request.

"Will I bring her here?" she finishes for me.

I nod, "Find a home for her."

She smiles, tears touching her eyes, "I will."

I bow my head, "Thank you."

"She made something for him, you know. For her _Leiorae_," Zelda says, using the foreign word Link had told me, "it's in his bag."

I settle the teacup she'd given me down on the bedside table and take Link's pack into my lap, opening it and looking through the things he'd taken with him, finding a woven bracelet settled on top of his things.

"That's how we met her," she tells me, "her and her grandmother were selling them on the streets, I wanted one to remind me of the country."

I try to keep my face collected as I gaze down through blurry eyes at his things, putting the bracelet on the bedside table. My heart sinks when I find his ocarina crushed into hundreds of tiny fragments. I'm glad it's the side of my face that Zelda can't see that decides to let go of a tear that has grown too heavy on the brim of my eyelid, slipping down my face and dangling on my chin. I reach into the bag, my fingers catching on the edges of a piece of paper. I draw it out and unfold it, finding the poor drawing I'd done that night on our bed, the depiction of Epona that he'd seen as 'a table with an oven-mitt sticking out of it.' I smile to myself, knowing that he held onto it all this time. It was, after all, supposed to be something to remind him of home.

Home seems so far away now.

I swallow, reaching into the bag when my hand finds the gritty texture of a pooled chain. I loop my fingers in it and pull it towards me, finding the song bird pendant he'd carved for me. The one I told him to bring back to me safe and sound. But not this time.

I cover my mouth, clenching the pendant tight in my palm as I bend over, resting my elbow on my knee and slipping my hand over my eyes, crying with an aching throat. My body is so tired of crying, my eyes stinging, my chest hurting, my body sore from my muscles tensing. But I don't know how to stop, to try and make myself believe that after this, things will be alright. I feel Zelda's patient hand on my back, trying to soothe the unconditional sorrow. I know that she's in a similar spot, that her and Link were very dear friends, but I am the one with the tears on my face, and she is not.

I wish I knew how she could hurt and not cry.

She sits back down in her chair once I can quiet myself. I attempt to smile at her, a silent thank you for putting up with me. "He made it for me," I murmur, holding out the necklace on a flat palm. "A memento, something to remember him by... but I never needed it."

"You'll always have him with you," she says in agreement.

I nod, I'll always have him with me... even when he's far away, even when I'm far away.

With trembling limbs, I climb off the chair and kneel by his bedside. I settle the pendant on his bedside table beside the bracelet before smoothing his bangs off his face and losing my hand in his soft hair. "Go to sleep," I whisper so softly to him, my forehead crumpled in acceptance, acceptance that him trying to fight to stay here is only causing him pain. I lean forward and caress my lips over his forehead as a tear rolls down my cheek and disperses where our skin meets.

There's a song I once sang to my daughter when I knew she didn't have much time. I don't know if he can hear me, but maybe she can, maybe she'll sing it for him wherever they are.

I open my mouth, the melody barely pushing past my lips, the quiet peace of death filtering into the room.

"_Once there was a way, to get back homeward,_

_Once there was a way, to get back home,_

_Sleep pretty darling, do not cry,_

_And I will sing a lullaby_

_Golden slumbers fill your eyes, _

_Smiles will wake you when you rise_

_Sleep pretty darling, do not cry,_

_And I will sing a lullaby_

_Once there was a way, to get back homeward,_

_Once there was a way, to get back home,_

_Sleep pretty darling, do not cry..."_

I pause, my eyes drifting from his face back to our hands, back to the Triforce on the back of his. The last words of the lullaby don't come out of my mouth. My eyes widen when I look towards Zelda, tears in her eyes as she listens.

"What is it?" she asks quietly.

I let out a deep breath. "I think... I think I have an idea."

* * *

><p><em>I commit his face to memory before I wander after him as the sun starts to fall.<em>

_ Maybe he'll be coming back from the castle, maybe he'll have seen my father._

_ I walk quietly up the road until I can see a tall stone arch ahead of me, thick steel bars blocking the only way through the hills, not to mention the royal guards scattered before the castle. There's no way I would get past them._

_ I start to glance around, the light fading quickly so that I remain out of sight of the guard by the gate. The cliffs are too steep to climb, so there would be no way to go over the gate either. I doubt the guard there would believe me if I told him that my dad might be on the other side of the gate, most likely asleep._

_ A wolf howls somewhere far away and my heart starts to race. I stumble back against the face of the cliff, trying to flatten myself against it and out of view of anything that could hurt me._

_ My hair tangles in something behind me, and when I turn around I find that ivy has woven up the cliff over time, creating foot and hand holds if I were to climb. My breath starts going in and out faster now, my palms sweating as a determined smirk spreads on my face. I grip handfuls of the ivy and wedge my foot into a tangle of green, hoisting myself off the ground._

_ My grin widens until I hear the clang of the gate opening and closing, and then talking. The guards speaking._

_ But who are they talking to? Dad?_

_ I let go, stepping back down onto the road and round the corner to find that boy in green lying on the ground, trying to pick himself up and dust off his clothes._

_ I wait until he walks closer to me before I reach out and grab his sleeve, calling out to stop him._

_ He jumps, startled as he turns towards me._

_ "Hey, did you see my dad?" I ask him._

_ He shakes his head, rubbing his arm like he hurt it, "No."_

_ I take his wrist in my hand and drag him towards the wall, "Here, it's dark now so I don't think they'll see you. Would you mind finding my dad? He must have fallen asleep somewhere around the castle... What a thing for an adult to do!"_

_ He shrugs, accepting my request with a grimace. I give him the cucco egg I'd be holding onto, waiting for it to hatch. If it does, it's crow will be enough to wake my lazy daddy. I watch as he climbs the wall with ease, disappearing against the black sky._

_ I curl up beneath the tree just across the way, hoping that morning comes soon, or my dad. Whichever comes first. It's cold and the ground is uncomfortable. I feel like crying but I tell myself not to. I'm not a baby like my daddy seems to think I am. I'll be just fine without him._

_ The ground is shaking in my dream, shaking as the trees topple over, the houses collapsing. I start when I feel hands on my arms, realizing that the trembling I feel isn't coming from the ground. _

_ My body is still stuck in the dream, too scared to move though, my skin tingling, my bones aching. "Malon... wake up."_

* * *

><p>"I... I don't understand. An idea?"<p>

I nod, "A way we can save him."

She looks at me hesitantly, "Malon... I just think it's too late to try and do something."

"Do you still have the Ocarina of Time?" I ask her.

She quirks an eyebrow at me, the slightest amount of surprise in the gesture. "Do you really want that?"

"If it will save him," I respond with a nod.

"He won't be able to come back," she reminds me gently.

"I know," I say abruptly, "...but I won't... I won't be here for him even if he did."

Zelda bows her head, chewing on her lip. There's conflict written on her face, pressing down on her shoulders. She reaches into a satchel by her side, one she'd had with her when she came to get me though I hadn't known what was inside, and pulls out the ocarina. When her eyes meet mine again I can see there are tears in them. "I brought it with me... because I considered it too," she murmurs, her voice thick.

My chin dips in a single nod, "Will you do this for me?"

She pauses, her hands trembling around the ocarina. "I don't know if this is something he'd want," she admits.

"Please," I beg, touching my hand to her wrist once, "I need to know that he's safe."

"He wouldn't want to live knowing that he left you behind," she says.

"Please," I whisper again.

"Then Malon... go back with him," she says, shaking her head.

I pull in a sharp breath, my eyes wide. "I can't do that. I can't."

"Why not?" she asks me.

I turn to look at Link, his face having returned to that state of innocence he holds when his eyes are closed, or when he laughs. It's this face that reminds me that seven years of his life were completely skipped over, that he still holds onto that naïvety because he didn't have a chance to grow up slowly, he had to do it the moment he woke up. "Because he deserves to have all the things he didn't want because of me. And if I'm there, and he has to go through everything he did again because of me, my illness, our baby... then why is it worth it?"

"Because he loves you," she bursts out, almost impatiently, "because I _know_ that he would do it all over again for you."

Air is rushing in and out too quickly now, my body is starting to panic. "I can't. I can't leave the ranch, leave my dad."

"Malon... if you don't get better, if you stay sick like you think you will... then he's going to lose you anyways," she reminds me quietly, "wouldn't you rather he know that you're still alive somewhere and that you're happy?"

"I'll just be prolonging my sickness. I know it's pitiful, I know it's weak. But I'm sick, and it hurts, and I'm tired of fighting," I explain, "I don't want to have to do it again."

"Can I ask you something?" she asks earnestly.

I nod, wiping the back of my hand across my eyes.

"Was Story's birthmark, the one that looked like an angel kiss, was it on her temple, here beside her eye?" she asks, fluttering her fingers over the spot she'd asked about.

I narrow my eyes, my breathing coming to a halt. "Yes..." I respond almost silently.

"I knew it was strange... that I'd seen a vision of the past when I never had before. The little girl in the vision I saw, she had a red birthmark beside her eye, long strawberry-blonde hair. It wasn't your mother. I think... I think it was Story."

I shake my head, eyes wide. "That's not possible. She died the day she was born. You said that girl you saw was seven, maybe eight."

"Malon, the last words Link spoke to me were; 'I'm going to fix her.' We both know that he can't now, but maybe if you both go back, he'll have the time to find a way. There are things in this world we can't begin to possibly imagine, and maybe he'll find something to fix you. I think I did see your future, and that little girl, Story, she's in it. Maybe the Goddesses are giving the three of you a second chance, maybe that's why they've kept him alive when he shouldn't be, so why not take it?" Zelda asks me.

"I'm scared," I whisper, shaking my head as the terror pools in my eyes.

She takes my face in her hands then, "It's okay to be scared. You are very, very brave. You have been through so much more than I can begin to imagine."

I begin to cry, feeling again like a small child being held by my mother, being told to be brave by someone I trusted to shield me when I'm afraid. "W-will I—remember?" I ask her in between gasping sobs.

She shrugs, offering me a meek smile. "I don't know. Maybe it'll come back right away, maybe it'll take longer. But I don't know if you could ever forget that boy," she murmurs, glancing once at Link. She reaches across me and takes something in her hand before curling it into my palm. "But if you need something to remind you, you have this."

I unfurl my fingers to find the song bird pendant resting in my hand.

* * *

><p><em>I try to tell myself he'll be back soon.<em>

_ But I can't make the butterfly feeling in my tummy go away. My daddy wouldn't just leave me here alone. I watch all the people and the people that pass me by, the ones that don't pay me any attention. I see another girl rushing by chasing a cucco. I wonder if she's one of the orphans._

_ I wonder if they think I am._

_ 'I'm just waiting for my daddy,' I want to tell them. But I don't._

_ I just watch the same people come and go, always moving quickly, never seeing anything. I've almost memorized all their faces._

_ I follow the lazy dance of a butterfly as if flutters before me, guiding my gaze to a face I haven't yet seen, a face I haven't yet memorized. I watch him as he glances around, looking like he's lost. I wonder if he's lost just like me, lost without his parents._

_ And then his eyes meet mine, my face feeling hot when they don't move away like he's caught me there. I swallow as he approaches, maybe to ask me a question, maybe to ask for directions, or if I've seen his parents. But he doesn't say anything, he just looks at me like he hasn't seen anything like me before. I stare right back, noticing he doesn't wear the clothes like me and the other children too. No, he looks like something out of the stories Daddy told me, the ones about the fairies and the forest._

_ "Hey," I mutter, trying to take his attention away from staring at me, "your clothes, they're different. You're not from around here... are you?"_

_ He turns his chin slightly to the left. I take it as a no. And then a blue glow escapes from his hat, just like the drawings in my book._

_ "Oh, you're a fairy boy from the forest," I say. "My name is Malon. My dad owns Lon Lon Ranch. Dad went to the castle to deliver some milk, and he hasn't come back yet..." I add._

_ "The castle..." he murmurs. His voice sounds different than what I expected. Softer._

_ I nod, shifting my gaze up towards the castle towers._

_ He turns over his shoulder. "I have to go there too," he tells me, "I'm glad to have met you, Malon."_

_ I watch him as he continues up the path to the castle, watching him until he disappears._

_ Something in me doesn't want to forget the fairy boy. Something wants to know what the quiet boy from the forest is doing here._

_ I commit his face to memory._

* * *

><p>I'm tired of waiting. I've been waiting here for so long now.<p>

I wonder if everything is okay at home. I wonder if Epona's alright.

Hopefully my dad is alright.

I smooth my thumb over the broach at the base of my throat, it's cool against my skin. I'm always so cold, but now I feel like I'm burning. I remember not knowing what the broach was for when I first bought it, I just liked the way it looked, with the face of the dragon-like being on the front. I liked the way it fit into my fist and I liked to show it to everyone. Dad bought me my yellow scarf later so I could wear it with the broach. Even though he told me I could only buy one thing at the fair, it was like I got two.

I want to go home now, back with my dad, back to the horses and cattle. It's too loud here, I miss the quiet. I already miss the sounds of the bugs in the fields.

I slowly take in my surroundings. Everything is the same as it was an hour ago, and the hour before that. The same people come and go, I've memorized almost all of their faces.

A white butterfly twirls into my view then, and my eyes follow it's fluttering wings as it dips up and down above the heads of the faces I've memorized. And then it passes a face I have yet to memorize, a boy who catches my eyes when I find his. My burning body lights on fire, something in the way he stares at me igniting my skin.

I want to ask him what he's looking at, if he needs help finding something or someone. Maybe he's separated from his parents just like I am.

"Hey, your clothes, they're different. You're not from around here... are you?" I ask him, my voice shaking a little for reasons I don't understand.

He doesn't respond, he doesn't nod or shake his head, not a word passes his lips. He just stares at me with those blue eyes, his lips set in a tight line.

"Are you okay?" I ask slowly.

He opens his mouth slightly, his lips trembling. He only says one word, but it makes the insides of my tummy turn. "...Malon."

My eyes open wide, he knows my name. He doesn't question it, he knows it.

Maybe he knows about the ranch, maybe he knows Daddy. I just stare back at him, the insides of my bones aching, like something strange is happening to my body. I look down, trying to avoid those eyes that make my heart feel funny and put my hands in my pockets, finding something inside I don't remember putting there.

It's a necklace with a wooden bird carving on it. I glance back up at him, my brow furrowed in confusion. "What is this?" I ask him, the funny feeling within me making me want to believe that he has something to do with the necklace in my palm.

He takes a step forward and gazes down at the necklace, tracing his finger over the tiny bird. "Are you a song bird?" he asks me, cupping his hand beneath mine.

Yes. I want to say yes.

I want to say yes because he's asked me this before, but I can't seem to put two ends together and make them meet, I can't remember when or why he would have asked me this.

I gasp as a brief flash of a memory flits through my brain, a memory of him giving this pendant to me. But it hasn't happened yet.

I don't understand how or why, how any of this could make sense, but when he's putting the pendant in my hand, he's taller, his hair longer, his eyes darker.

His name, I've said it to myself time and time again so that I wouldn't forget, and yet I can't recall having ever heard it before. "Link?" I ask, the feeling bubbling up into my eyes, flooding them with tears.

He closes the short distance between us, hugging me close to him as I cradle the necklace against my chest. "Will you let me keep you?" he asks.

I squeeze my eyes closed as tears stream down my face, tears for the memories and brief glimpses of he and I invading my mind. There are things that haven't happened yet, or things that will happen soon, things that are different than how they're happening now. I see things I don't fully understand, a small baby in my arms, this boy, Link, when he's all grown up laying in a hospital bed.

I see myself very sick, and I remember thinking I'm going to die.

I feel very overwhelmed, not knowing why I'm crying.

Some of it doesn't make sense, like the feelings I once had for this boy holding me. I don't know why he means so much to me, I just know that he does. I guess most of it does not make sense. There are few things that do, like laughing with him as we draw pictures, playing with him out in the barn on the rainy days, and feeling sad when I watch him go. Yes, there are a few things that make sense, the things that happen when we're still children. And there are those that don't, when we're both taller, and his eyes have changed.

"I didn't forget," I say, my voice thick with tears.

I think he's smiling when he speaks, I remember seeing him smile for the first time by my window in my room. "You promised you wouldn't."

I see him on Epona's back, but she's grown too, tall and mighty. He asks me not to forget about him, and I vow not to.

I see a girl that I know will be me, kissing the boy that will be him, and I don't understand the clenching in my heart I remember feeling for him while I do. I don't understand the feelings I remember as I look at him, standing across from me in a white shirt while I wear a white dress, a sunflower in my hand.

It doesn't seem to matter.

"Are you real?" I ask, hoping that this isn't some sort of a dream, that when I wake up, those terrible things that happened will be in front of me once more. I inhale deeply, trying to steady my breathing and he smells just like I remember. It hasn't changed. I clench the pendant tight in my hand, hoping he won't let go any time soon.

He speaks so quietly only I hear him, only I hear the boy that will keep me.

"I think so."

* * *

><p>The End<p> 


	15. Memento Update

Hi all!

I know I said I wouldn't post anything on here after I finished the story, however I just wanted to update you guys on what's happening.

So here's the thing- I've been overwhelmed with the positive feedback that Memento got, even going back over your comments and reviews. It is seriously amazing how something I wrote with my own two hands could affect so many people. The inspiration for Memento really struck me out of the blue, I'd initially begun to write it as Ocarina of Time from Malon's perspective starting after the seven years had passed. It didn't progress far, and I got bored of it rather quickly. Then I started writing another story from Malon's perspective, this time three years after the end of Ocarina of Time.

That's when I decided to weave my two ideas together. I wasn't sure how the bizarre timeline would work out, but I was extremely happy when it did. Memento is really one of my favorite things I've written. So all of this positive feedback got me thinking that I could re-work Memento into an original story with original characters. I'll have to invent a little more background, but I feel that given the content of the story, I could do it.

I recently got engaged, and will be getting married this summer. With so much change happening so fast, I'm taking a break from University, and during that break I plan to completely re-write Memento.

The dream would be to get the book published, but it may just start out on a website of some sort. That being said, I'll probably be taking Memento down from here within six months or so. My intention isn't to make you guys angry, you really have been my hugest support system, so my plan is to make a watermarked PDF version of Memento for personal use. If you're interested, PM me and I'll try my best to email it out to you guys once it's ready!

Thanks again for this crazy awesome experience of writing for you guys. I know I wouldn't have finished it and wouldn't be re-creating it all if it weren't for you. I love you all so very very much.

Cheers,

Leave No Doubt


End file.
